Persephone: Prototype
by NorthEasternSpirit
Summary: Many years ago, when the royal children of the Umbreons and Espeons went missing, it plunged the land into war. Lloyd, an Umbreon, was orphaned after his parents vanished during a conflict caused by the warring nations. After fatefully meeting a mysterious Espeon named Lily, the mysteries of the past will guide them to the truth. The original, unposted version of "Persephone".
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Long ago, the eight regions of the Eon nation lived together peacefully, with members of the eight different species coexisting peacefully. In a land where only members of the Eevee family exist, every region did its role to support the others, specializing in their own goods and talents. There was plenty to go around, and the different species all intermingled.

But one night, the young head of the East region went missing. To this day, nobody knows what happened. It eventually led to a massive war between the East and West that dragged in almost everyone, and when the bloodbath was finished, there had been divisions between the species. Every one of the eight species locked up one region that they deemed fitting. Aside from smaller travelers every so often, there weren't many Pokemon that existed outside their own region, and they were treated with hostility. Even moreso, the leaders themselves were very tense, and very few of them agreed with each other.

At least that's what my parents all told me. It all happened when I was young and couldn't remember what. My backstory isn't much. Just your ordinary Umbreon living like anyone else. Or again, that's what I was.

Umbreons live at the Western region, occupying the land where the sun sets. During the great war, half of the regions sided with the Umbreons, while the other half sided with the Espeons of the East. Ultimately, it cost thousands of Pokemon their lives and created even more conflict between the regions.

We're a nocturnal species, which isn't too surprising given our specialty. We currently have a somewhat stable relationship with our Flareon allies from the Southern region who forge tools for us to mine our precious stones with. These stones contain the very essence of type-based powers, and with careful preparation, can be used to produce highly valuable TMs, jewelry, and even power-enhancing armor and weaponry.

But that's not what our family did. Moonview city is the crown jewel of our region, existing a mere thirteen miles away from the central border. My family lived Northwest of the city, on the outskirts of the city. We were actually farmers, specializing in growing plants and berries. As my mother was actually a Leafeon, she knew how to grow plants the right way and we were very wealthy as far as farmers went.

Then the war happened. It began when I was only six years old, and my parents were sent off to the far North to stop the Glaceon advancement into the Northwestern mountains where our allied Jolteons lived. Simply put, they never came back home. But it was so long ago that I don't have too many memories of it.

Of course I didn't just run the farm on my own. My parents' good friends agreed to take care of the farm for them, and life was quite good, aside from the fact that I hardly knew my real parents. They had a daughter a year younger than me who was pretty much my sister, though we were very close. And despite our farming life, I did spend nights studying and practicing in hopes of one day joining the army and upholding my parents' legacy in war should the time ever come. I wouldn't say that I'm an outstanding combatant, but I still thought I was better than most, which wasn't untrue. Farming day after day made me tougher than many others my age, though a lot of them were physically stronger than me.

Umbreon males typically took mining jobs or joined the army immediately, and generally lacking in education. But education was something that even the intelligent Espeons were having a hard time working in… or so we heard at least. No Umbreon in their right mind would wander into the East region.

Perhaps a Sylveon would be welcome; they were the only reason our counterattack failed after they came after us. I've never personally met any Pokemon outside of our side on the army, though Leafeons, Flareons, and Jolteons are all quite rare to see here, and are treated a little differently. Just a ten minute walk down into the town brings you to one of the best forgeries in the region, which is run by a Flareon. And my mother was a Leafeon, so I at least vaguely know what they look like. And Jolteons power our city, so I've seen a few when I go into the heart of it.

But the first instance I have of this starts out quite normally. Tia, my younger sister whose family I adopted into, and myself were heading into the city to sell our goods.

Tia is quite pretty for a female Umbreon, with smooth black hair and unusually warm eyes for a female Umbreon. But again, she is a sister of mine in the mental sense.

She's very smart, probably smart enough to go into some sort of research or go into the city and invent things. She's cute enough to marry a rich guy and be well off. But she enjoys staying at the farm, and she's an independent thinker.

"Lloyd, are you okay carrying our stuff?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I pulled the pack full of our goods higher up on my back. "I do this every day, nothing ever happens."

"True," she said. She sighed. "I just don't like this area at the very edge of the city. Some of the Umbreons here look like bad news if I didn't have you around."

I did agree. Sometimes, it felt like there were more enemies within the West than outside, but the sense of danger from the outside had supposedly calmed the issues within the region. While there were some shady Pokemon, there admittedly wasn't a ton of trouble that was reported. Still, it was best to stay together. "Don't worry, we've never had trouble before, have we?"

"I know, I know… I just wonder if anything will change." She looked at me. "You know, all this tension. Perhaps one day, it'll all stop."

"Perhaps," I said. "But things certainly don't seem to be heading that way." Which was true. Tensions between us and the Eastern Espeons were high as always, and those that sided with each of the two regions would also treat the other side as an enemy.

Our side composes of the South through Northwest regions. The Flareons enjoy the volcanic Southern region, and they are skilled at forging weapons and other metal eq uipment. Flareons are quite friendly overall, being very quick to help. The Southwest is inhabited by the Leafeons, who are a little more cautious. That said, they are very devoted allies, and are probably the ones who are most loyal to our side. Umbreons like us control the West, and there's not much more to say about us. And finally, the Northwest is controlled by the Jolteons, who power us with their electricity while also having some developments.

In theory, the Western side is much stronger. We have more weapons and more energy. But the East actually is somehow more developed. The Espeons are the most intelligent, and their cities are highly advanced. They were able to stall out the Western army long enough for their fairy-type allies to drive us back. The Southeast Sylveons are the main reason we're not able to go on the offensive against the East. The Northeast region belongs to the peaceful Vaporeons, who supposedly have a city built on the top of a seaside cliff. They're the primary producers of not only water, but have developed a way to produce energy throughout the East. And finally, the Glaceons who own the North, where nobody dares attack due to the freezing cold. Supposedly, both my parents had been sent there as an almost suicide mission. Had they managed to get a hostage, the Glaceons would have left the war effort, and the Vaporeons weren't part of the battle itself, rather a supporting region for the war effort. They would have been able to stop the Vaporeons from supporting the Sylveons and Espeons and the Eastern war effort would have crumbled. Of course, the unit had gone missing and failed their mission. They had been last heard of deep in the Kian mountains, the northernmost range.

And though I've never told Tia this, my dream is to one day find out what really happened to them, whether they're alive or not. But those mountains are perhaps the harshest climate on the continent, aside from the Southern volcanoes.

"Lloyd, are you coming?"

Tia had walked a little ahead, and I quickly caught up. "Sorry…"

"You looked like you were thinking again."

"I was. Nothing important."

She poked his shoulder. "I know when you're deep in thought."

I didn't respond to her question. It was just a stupid dream. "Don't worry. Let's go and sell."

Which is how my day normally goes really. Wake up early, get the goods, walk down and sell, and head back. I have time to combat train should I ever need to join the force, and I study at night. It's a busy, yet simple lifestyle, a constant cycle that I really do enjoy. Yes, finding out the truth behind my parents is a dream, but it's not something that I fully expected to actually happen.

I remember the dream that night clear as if it were yesterday. I still had yet to meet a Pokemon that wasn't on our side during the great war. That night, I remember hearing a voice in my dreams. It took me awhile to recognize the first voice, but I quickly realized it was my own.

" _The dock… we must hurry."_

Why was I talking to someone in a dream? Why was my dream in 3rd person? It didn't matter.

 _"Where is the dock?"_ The voice was gentle and soft spoken, but it didn't have the concern I heard in my own voice.

After that, the two voices continued to speak, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Something about the dock.

The dream was quite misty visually. I couldn't see anything, only hear. Eventually, I heard footsteps and the voices became silent as they walked into the distance.

Upon waking up the next morning, I had almost completely forgotten about the dream. I knew it had been unusual, but at that time, I couldn't remember it.

I closed my eyes, lying on my bed. The voice had been so sweet, but I was certain I had never heard it before. And yet… I needed to find out who had been talking. Who was that Pokemon?

I didn't have to wait long to meet her.

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Business was slow that day. Tia and I stood under the shade of our stand along the street. I chewed on a carrot, looking out across the hills. We were situated near the edge of town, and there were some trees every so often. It was peaceful, but if you looked closely, you could see the tips of the distant mountains.

Tia sighed. "I wish we could get a more central spot."

I yawned. "We still make really good money for farmers. Plus this spot is cheap."

"I know," she said. "But the view is very nice."

We ended up heating up later, selling out a little before night. Normally, we pass through Moonview City's center which is the capital of our region. We weren't planning to do anything differently that day. But something was different. There was a lot of talking, and we could barely pass through the center.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Eh? Oh, hey, you're that farmer son."

I recognized one of the Umbreons who bought a bag of squashes earlier. "Hi. So…"

"Ah yes," he said, turning to the center of the crowd. "We managed to catch an Espeon."

I frowned. "Eh? What's an Espeon doing here?"

"That's what we're all trying to figure out." He pointed. "I think they're still deciding what to do."

I pushed my way to the front of the crowd, Tia trailing a little bit behind me. "Lloyd, shouldn't we head home?"

I ignored her a little bit. I had never seen an Espeon before.

Then I heard the voice, the same one in the dream. "Leave me alone!" It was certainly angry, but it was undoubtedly the same one he had heard in the dream. "I can't go back!"

Then I finally saw her… well, her back. Pink hair that went halfway down her back and a somewhat tattered skirt were all I could see clothing-wise. Her skin was slightly darker than the pale Umbreon females he'd normally see, though calling her remotely dark was an exaggeration. Her legs were slim and smooth, but other than that, he couldn't make out much else. I squinted. I noticed some cuts along her legs, and some of them were quite deep. It was clear she was favoring her left side and was in pain.

Across from her stood a member of the police force. I had seen him around before; an intimidating Umbreon that towered over even me. "We're going to have to take you in, Espeon. I'm not in a position to make a decision, but our leaders can. Whether that means your execution or not is a different matter."

I couldn't tell from my angle, but she appeared to hang her head before following him.

There were lots of shouts in the crowd. "Send her back!"

"Take her clothes!"

"Kill her!"

Not knowing what to say, I backed out of the crowd where Tia had waited for me. "An Espeon, huh…"

"Yeah, I don't know what they plan to do with her," I explained. "But… it doesn't concern us."

"I see… well, let's head home then." I followed my sister home as the sun set. "Lloyd… does it really not concern us?" She stopped walking briefly. "The Espeons haven't caused us trouble…"

"Well, we know the history. It's probably bad to trust one."

"I… I guess."

I rested a hand affectionately on her shoulder. "Let's not think about it. That's for the big shots with power to decide."

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"Lloyd, time to- oh, sorry…"

I was doing my daily exercising when Tia called me. "Hmm?"

"Time to eat. I'll let mom and dad know that you'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thanks Tia."

"Mmhmm." She stood in the doorway a little while. "You look tougher than most of the guys in the force."

"Do I?" I sat up. "Well, it's no lie that I want to be ready should it come to that."

"I know…" She stood there a little longer. Briefly shaking her head, she turned away. "Come on, let's eat."

Pulling myself up to my feet, I followed her. "Coming, coming."

At the table, I told my parents about the Espeon we saw. "An Espeon?" asked my uncle. "Huh, must have a death wish."

"Hmm, I don't think any Espeon is stupid enough to waltz right into the West though," mused my aunt. "Might be a trap."

"They took her to the authorities," explained Tia. "So we don't know what's actually going to happen to her."

"They should just send her back."

"She said she couldn't go back though," mentioned Tia. "Maybe she's an outlaw there?"

I stretched my wrist before taking a bite of rice. "She seemed quite well dressed for an outlaw. Though I only saw her back to be fair. Who knows what she is?"

"Well, it doesn't matter I guess." It was Sunday, and we would sell our goods over the weekend while primarily farming the other weekdays.

"We're going to be picking up some new seeds next weekend," said my aunt. "The Leafeons have finally developed a newer, stronger grain."

"That's great!" said Tia. "When do you get back?"

"We leave late Friday, should be back by… Tuesday or so." My uncle yawned. "Well, I'm going to sleep. Gotta get the plants watered early."

"Night," I said. "I'll probably do some studying…" Which was probably true. "I've found some old documents on the Vaporeon pump technology that they use to get their energy. Maybe there is a way for us to utilize it, even without control of water."

Tia put some thought into it. "They use turbines I believe, and have found a system utilizing waves and wind somehow to spin them. The Vaporeons and Espeons are both very advanced, but the fish aren't concerned with the direct war effort." Fish was a derogatory term for the Vaporeons of the Northeast.

"That's true, but look at what the Sylveons did. Attacked us out of nowhere."

"Well… maybe we were partially to blame…" Tia walked up after yawning. "Goodnight, brother."

I nodded to her as she passed. "See you tomorrow." I was going to sleep pretty soon, but I remember falling asleep at the table that night.

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I wiped the sweat from my brow. "Sometimes, I wish we were a little farther North… I can't imagine living more South."

"Oh, it's not really that bad, is it?" Tia had a large sunhat on as we sat down after planting some seeds. "But the hottest days of the year are past us. It should be cool for the next few months before it begins to snow."

"I suppose."

"Say, did you hear the news?"

"News?" I stretched my legs.

"Supposedly… the Glaceons have been strained in the war effort."

That was a little surprising, but I didn't think much of it. The Ice-types may have sided with the Espeons, but they were a critical part of their alliance. The sheer region size and cruel climate made it virtually impossible to attack unless you were an ice type yourself. Even visitors from other lands. "So they're thinking of withdrawing?"

"Yes. The princess has been very silent about offering troops to defend the Espeons. Her advisors say that she's become rather conflicted."

The Glaceons had been the primary offense, as their Northern fortress allowed them to launch assaults on the Jolteons at will, followed by hasty retreats. But I had noticed the raids slowing down. "All the better for us." It was Thursday now, and we were hard at work. "You know, this isn't so bad. No attacks in almost a year. But it does make you wonder…" I sipped some water. "I wonder what the Espeons are thinking. Are they planning something big?"

"I don't know. But if everyone respects the boundaries, it'll be better."

"Say… I wonder what happened to that Espeon. Why she wanted to stay here?"

Tia stood up. "She should be okay. At worst, they'll just lock her up. Don't you think?"

"… You're right. I should just stop worrying." I patted her. "We've got a job to do."

She smiled a little bit, looking away. "Jeez, I know… no need to treat me like I'm a kid."

"Sorry. I know you've scolded me for doing that before." I looked at her with amusement.

"Well, you know that it's not the worst thing. At least I know my brother cares for me. Right?"

"Yeah," I said. Despite not being blood related, she was still my best friend, and she was the one Pokemon I felt defensive about. Which was partially why I was hesitant to join the war effort. If I wasn't there, my family would be easy pickings. Tia was very attractive, and with how busy my adopted family was, it wasn't hard to believe that someone would try prey on them. "I heard you received a marriage proposal…"

"Hmph," she grumbled. "I'm not interested… well… _that_ interested in getting married. I only turned eighteen a few months back, and there's already people after me." She sighed. "You're so lucky you're a guy."

"Well, more or less? I mean, it is nice not being bombarded by marriage letters I suppose… especially from guys."

She giggled. "You're such a clown, Lloyd." My sister looked like she wanted to say something, then clearly thought better of it. "Well, lets go get a snack. We've got most of what we needed to get done."

"Snack… what are you thinking?"

"Maybe we can get those slush snow drinks… it sounds so tasty today with all the sun!"

I smiled. "Okay, let's get some."

"Thanks Lloyd…"

Walking down into the city was pretty standard that day. There weren't many shady Pokemon; even less than usual. Which really should have been a warning sign. But I didn't think much of it, since we wouldn't often come into the city on weekdays and it was bound to be a little different. "Rather quiet today," noted Tia.

We walked down the streets together. "Here we are," I said as we approached the small shop. It was a bar that specialized in frozen cocktails. "No alcohol," I said with a nudge.

"Aww, you're no fun," she pouted. But she ordered a frozen ice drink without alcohol like I asked. I got the same as her.

We sat down, sipping our drinks. "This really hits the spot," I said with a sigh. "Say Tia…"

She slurped her drink. "Mmm?"

"I saw you and dad talking about something a few nights back." They had been downstairs, discussing something quietly. I hadn't been able to get close enough to hear.

"…" She looked away. "W-well… that's very confidential stuff… Lloyd…"

"Come on… am I not your brother?"

She played with her hair. "Not by blood… a-anyways…" She sipped her drink. "You thought about finding a wife yet?"

"Not really," I admitted. "It's not something I'm looking for given I'm not even twenty yet."

"I… see…" She spoke hesitantly. "Well…" I frowned. Tia wasn't one to become uncomfortable over talking.

"What is it?"

"Well, mom and dad have been really pressuring me… to start looking for somebody." It wasn't uncommon for Umbreon girls to be married right as they turned 18 or 19. "But… well…" She sighed. "It's nice to know that you feel the same with regards to marriage."

"Yeah, I don't want to rush that sort of thing."

Then the door flew open. Some of our soldiers walked in the bar. "Hey, bartender, can you get us some of the good stuff?"

"Yeah yeah," he grumbled without turning around.

"My my… that girl's a cutie." I narrowed my eyes. They were looking at Tia. She turned away to look at me.

"Lloyd…"

"Yeah, let's go…" Soldiers were known to go after young girls after their work for the day, and Tia was obviously a prime target.

They walked over as we were getting up to leave. "Hey there… oh well, who's this guy? Your boyfriend?"

"Please leave us alone," I said, dropping a coin on the table. "You can have this, we're just getting ready to go home."

"Hey, we don't need money. But your little friend here…"

"Not interested." She took a step back. "Lloyd, let's go."

One of them grabbed her shoulder. "Don't say-"

I turned around and hook-punched him across the face, launching him into a nearby table. "Hands off my sister!"

"Why you…" His two other friends came after me.

I stepped back, grabbing Tia's hand. "Let's go." We ran out the door, chased by the others.

"Get back here!"

We ran through the city. "Come on!" I hissed. "Can't even get a damn drink without being bothered." I knew a shortcut that could get us out of the city quickly. It was through this alley… that was now blocked.

"Lloyd, look over there!"

In front of stood the Espeon, the same girl whom we had seen earlier. "Let go of me! Your mayor said- ow!"

"You stupid Espeons… taking all our stuff!" She was being harassed by some troublemakers that didn't look like they were in the military. "We'll take you to the prison!"

"No!" she said.

"You idiot, he said leave soon! That was two days ago!"

"But… gah! Stop!" She finally noticed us. She didn't say anything, but her eyes were pleading. Those light brown eyes and that slim frame. She was a lot different compared to the Umbreon girls.

Tia pulled on my arm. "Lloyd, they're coming behind us!"

I clenched my teeth. I could probably take these two goons easier than trained military men. Holding out my hand, I murmured, "Dark Pulse." Dark Pulse obviously wouldn't be too effective against the other Umbreons and I had to be careful to avoid hitting the Espeon, but its temporary darkness could disorient even other dark types. The energy was stored within my hand as I tapped the ground, creating a hemisphere of darkness that surrounded everyone.

Dark Pulse was a relatively uncommon move; it was a technique that I had learned from my father. There had been some research on the technique itself; its power had been thought to be related to evil thoughts, which in some senses was true. Basically within the darkness, you could almost compress it to crush enemies psychologically. But right now, I didn't need to attack. The caster of the attack could see just fine.

"Let's go," I said, hold Tia's hand. I could see everyone in the darkness just fine, and the Espeon seemed to look at me as we ran past. _"Strange"_ I thought, since she couldn't see me, but those brown irises looked straight at me. I decided not to attack the disoriented males, but didn't want them to keep bothering her. "Come on."

"What?" She seemed confused, but didn't protest as I grabbed her hand quickly and led her out of the darkness. The attack slowly dissipated behind us as we hid around a corner.

"Where'd they… that bastard!"

"We'll find him!"

"Hey! What are you guys doing here? Hey, that guy's wanted for theft!"

We stayed quiet as the military men questioned the thugs. "Shit, let's run!" hissed the thieves as they ran past us without noticing.

"Get back!"

Once we were sure they were gone, I sighed. "Good lord… Tia, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." She smiled at me. "That's why you're my brother."

The Espeon looked at me. I could finally get a good look at her up close. She was generally more modestly dressed and endowed compared to the Umbreon girls here, but she was very pretty in a slim, no-nonsense kind of way. Her eyes were full of intelligence, and were a beautiful honey-color. She mainly wore a tattered, light pink coat that was buttoned up halfway, revealing a triangular section of her stomach down below. Below that was a pink skirt that ran halfway down her thighs. "You… you helped me." She held her hands to her hips before bowing a little. "You have my thanks, both of you." She spoke in a calm, surprisingly composed manner, which was surprising given what had just happened.

"Thank my brother," said Tia.

"I was just helping my sister," I explained. "Those guys from the army chasing us were trying to hit on her. Luckily, my attack distracted them and they realized your attackers were one of their actual targets."

"I.. I see. But you… hmm?" She squinted at me. "How… unusual…"

"What?"

She brushed me off. "It's nothing. Just never expected to meet…"

"What's your name?" asked Tia.

"I'm Lily." Frowning, she added, "I seem to recall…" Squinting a little, she shook her head. "Never mind, just mistook you for someone."

Frowning, I shrugged. "Well, an Espeon like you probably hasn't seen too many Umbreons," though internally, I certainly thought back to the dream and how I had heard her voice. "Lily… well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Lloyd."

"You're quite pretty!" said Tia. "The way everyone makes it seem, you guys are horrifying monsters."

She smiled. "Well, _some_ of us certainly are."

I was about to ask what she meant by that before she stepped back and bowed her head again. "I'm genuinely thankful for your assistance. But I should probably be going now before I cause more trouble."

I noticed her legs. Those wounds didn't look much better. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah…" She did walk with a slight limp.

Tia frowned. "Hey, you should really get that checked out." Tia pointed to the wounds. "You might get crippled if you don't get those taken care of."

"I… well…" The Espeon turned away. "It's… it's not your issue."

Tia crossed her arms and looked at me. "Lloyd, can you go get some medicine? Lily is clearly in pain."

"No." Her voice was quite firm. "I must be going. I'm looking for someone…"

I was hesitant to say something, but I decided that I should probably speak up now. "That's a serious injury… I know a friend who can heal it real quick. He'll do it for almost no cost."

She looked at me hesitantly before saying, "Well, I don't want to cause any more commotion…" She shook her head. "No, I cannot." She smiled at us before bowing again. "Lloyd, Tia… its been a pleasure meeting you. Perhaps one day I'll see you again." The pretty Espeon nodded before turning around and leaving, though she shot me a glance as she disappeared around a corner.

Tia looked up to me. "Hmm? You look like you're thinking."

"I'm just… I don't know, just surprised to actually be up close with an Espeon."

Tia giggled. "I feel the same." Nudging me, she added, "Thanks for saving me back there."

I patted her on the shoulder. "Let's go home."

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"Lloyd, that Espeon was really nice, wasn't she?"

I was washing some pots. "She seemed friendly. But you always need to be careful…"

Tia giggled. "She sure was pretty though…"

Shrugging, I said, "Well, she was rather different looking… though admittedly, most of you Umbreon girls look pretty similar."

Tia pouted. "Hey, you always tell me I'm cute."

"Well, you are definitely. You're cuter than a lot of the others."

She hugged my arm. "Thanks Lloyd!"

"Hey, don't smother me," I said nudging her. "At least try and treat me like a brother."

I stepped back, drying the dishes. "She might be the only Espeon we'll ever meet, but it was interesting talking to her. But Espeons probably think that we're all monsters too."

"… Our royal family… we've never met them. So who's to say that across the borders, our military isn't also doing terrible things?" brought up Tia. "Look at how awful the army was to us."

"Well, those were just the individuals in the army," I reasoned. "I don't think the commanders ever told the soldiers to molest girls and stuff. Those were just bad soldiers."

"True. But… well, I guess we're happy now."

I rubbed her back affectionately. "Not much more we can ask for right? We're making adequate money, we're happy, and things don't seem ominous into the future."

She gave me another hug before saying, "I'm going to go sleep now. See you tomorrow morning," she yawned.

I nodded before following her up the stairs. There was something I wanted to look at in my room. I turned on my light and rummaged through my desk drawer until I found what I was looking for. It was a somewhat old book, with a light blue cover. The pages inside were yellow, but I knew what it was. I dusted off the cover, which had the title, _The Eight._

This book contained sketches and notes of the traits of every one of the Eon species within the land. I frowned. The book didn't have an author, and it was the only copy I knew of. It was more of a sketchbook journal with notes, and even had dates, though the years were never listed. I leaned back into the wooden chair, putting my feet on the desk. I skimmed through the book. "Page 128," I murmured. "Here. The female Espeon."

The page held a sketch of an Espeon wearing a dress that looked stunningly similar to the one Lily had been wearing. The face was obviously somewhat different, but it looked quite similar overall, catching the slim figure Lily had. On the side, there were some interesting notes on the appearance.

 _-Fairly long hair in general-_

I frowned. Lily's hair hadn't been quite as long as the drawing, but other than that, the hair was pretty spot on.

- _Modest bust, slim build overall-_

Well, that was true at least. I shook my head. Comparing appearances wasn't the reason I had looked through here. The next page contained personality traits, and the page after that had a nude sketch. I flipped another page until I came to _History._ Frowning more, I read through.

 _The Espeons have a proud history of being one of the most advanced of all the regions. They were the first to develop a way to capture the electrical power from Jolteons, and also assisted with the first turbines developed by the Vaporeons. In addition, they have the largest library and log of events that have happened. Without a doubt the most intellectual race._

There were a bunch of other notes, but I skimmed through it until I came to the part where our region came in. "Here we go…"

 _Before I myself was born into this tension filled conflict, there was of course the cause of the war itself. The West and East were at the height of their power, and despite not initially being at war, there was obvious tension. Emperor Zerus and Empress Danae were the two heads at this time, and turned the West into a military powerhouse. Yet despite their rulers' strength, the West was not one to go on the offensive. As militaristic as Zerus was, he understood the costs of war better than anyone; the royal family had lost a son to a raid before. Which is why the next move he made confused not only the Espeons, but everyone around._

 _As I've talked about in the previous pages, the Espeons were, and still are, very smart. That said, their inherent type disadvantage made them a fairly easy target for opposing nations. When they were offered a marriage proposal by their most fearsome enemies, they quickly accepted the emperor's terms._

 _"Your daughter and our son. A military truce, in exchange for a portion of your technology," is what historians have written, and it makes sense. As powerful as the Umbreons were, they were always a little behind many of the other nations technology wise. With Zerus focusing on the military, Danae reportedly suggested that a royal marriage of the two sides would be beneficial to both of them. Despite Zerus' shock, within a week, he quickly came to understand, and requested a personal visit to the Espeons' royal palace._

 _The Espeons, seeing as that he only brought his own family and a fairly minimal number of guards, figured that any sort of deception would result in Zerus being killed or imprisoned at the least. So of course they agreed. It made sense._

This description rambled on for a few more pages, going more in-depth about some specific Pokemon, but I got the full idea. A truce formed by marriage, offering one side military security and the other economic growth. I rubbed my eyes. "Come on…"

 _Princess Julie was to be the bride of Prince Terren. There are very few documents on their relationship, even within the Espeons' imperial library. But I have found nothing to suggest they were against the marriage. And that's all there is to them really. Both quite mysterious really._

 _Then of course, the night before the marriage, Princess Julie went missing, and plunged the world into this war._

I remembered reading this book a long time ago when I was a kid, but I had forgotten all those parts. The proposed marriage… the kidnapping of the Espeons' princess. There was so little information on what had happened, and I couldn't recall if there had been anything other than motive to suggest why the Umbreons would kidnap or kill her. I shook my head. It didn't really matter. But there was a lot I was curious about, and if I were to meet her again, I would certainly ask what happened from their perspective. Perhaps it would make more sense. There were some Umbreons who devoted their life to figuring out these mysteries, but I definitely wasn't one of them. Still… there would be a lot to talk about should we meet.

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"Hello there! Would you like to buy some Leppa berries?" My sister stood out of the shadows, holding out our goods. It was now the weekend, and we were selling our produce. Tia always had a radiant smile, and that was probably why we were so successful. She knew who to target, and her someone skimpy manner of dressing probably had a lot to do with it.

I sat in the shade, watching her. "How many have we sold?" I asked.

She shrugged. "You're the one with the money, you know."

"I know that, but it's not like I'm keeping inventory." Chewing on an apple, I spat out a seed. "I'd estimate we've made about 450 today," I said after some thought. "Pretty average day." The sun would be setting in a few hours, but a pleasant breeze blew through the town and the sun was out.

"450? Well that's not half bad."

Lots of Umbreons walked around with hoods or some hats on. Sunlight typically made us feel a little drowsy just because of our naturally nocturnal ways. A few centuries ago, our ruler decided to try have us fit in with the rest of the species and work during the day. We had gotten accustomed to it, but it still wasn't as efficient as night work.

Tia walked up to one with a hood on. "Excuse me miss, would you like some berries?"

"Hey…" I noticed a forked tail poking out behind slightly. "You should be more careful with that tail," I said.

She turned to me, those light brown eyes surprised. "Lloyd? Tia? What are you doing here?"

"Lily! It's you!" Tia smiled. "Oh-"

"H-hey, not so loud…" she said awkwardly. "Don't wanna shout to the world…"

Tia giggled, then continued moving along the street trying to sell our goods. The cloaked Espeon moved under the shade. "Well I didn't expect to see you so soon," I commented.

"Likewise." She crossed her legs; they looked a little better than yesterday. "You're a farmer?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure what you expected."

"Well…" She rested her head on her hand. "I've done some research and that Dark Pulse technique you used was quite impressive. Not only to learn it, but to have that much control is quite surprising."

"You've seen the move before?"

"Well… I've read on it," she admitted. "It was horrifying and shocking, but you really saved me."

I blinked. She was definitely knowledgeable. "Well… do you know what the fuel for the technique is?"

"Eh?"

I smiled. "Dark Pulse is a move that is controlled by hate and evil thoughts. The more you can control and focus your rage and darkness, the more power and precision it has."

Her eyes glimmered. She seemed very interested. "That's actually very cool…"

I rubbed my arms uncomfortably. "A-anyways…" I reached into our cart and pulled out an apple. "I don't know if you've eaten since the Umbreons here might be harsh to you, so please take this apple. On us."

She looked at the apple. "This… thank you." Bending over a little, I heard her munching on it, her pink tail waggling slightly.

I watched Tia flirt a little with another Umbreon before quickly running over to me. "We have a customer!" I took his money before giving him a vine of berries. Tia talked with him a little bit more before heading back under the shade. "Eh he, he bought our priciest thing!"

Lily had finished eating. "Lloyd, thank you so much… I was famished…"

She smiled at me, and I felt warm all over. "Hey, don't embarrass my brother," said Tia, crossing her arms.

"What?" The psychic type looked confused.

Tia huffed. "Lloyd… you go upfront. I'm taking a break."

"Okay." I stood up, heading to the front of our stand. Lily and Tia were already talking, and I looked out into the street. The Umbreons thankfully didn't seem to notice that there was an Espeon in our stall. I yawned. It really did feel like one of those days where nothing could go wrong.

We actually did end up selling quite a bit the rest of the way, though I was doing most of the selling. As the sun began to set, Tia nudged me from behind. "Lloyd, we all finished?"

"Yeah," I said, packing up our remaining goods. Lily was napping peacefully on some crates. I watched her for a moment. "You know… who do you think she is?"

Tia eyed her closely. "I don't know… she never revealed anything about her past." Pausing, she added, "I think she might be someone pretty dangerous though."

"You can tell?"

"I just get the feeling…"

I sighed. "Well… it looks like she's being isolated. Understandable given she's an Espeon… but…"

Tia looked at me. "I mean, mom and dad… well…" She clearly knew what I was thinking. Crossing her arms, she added, "I never thought that you'd be the one to suggest something like this."

"Well… there are all sorts of things I want to ask her," I confessed. "I mean… what if they're not the bad ones? She certainly doesn't seem evil. And not just that… how is their region? Is it nice? There's a lot…"

"Our region is quite pretty," said a slightly groggy voice behind us. Lily yawned, though her cloak still covered most of her.

"Hey… so… where have you been sleeping?"

"…" She looked down. "I've been going out to the fields. There's a large tree that I could rest in during the night… but it is cold," she admitted.

I exchanged a glance with Tia. "Listen, maybe for a night, stay with us. Our parents are away for now."

"Huh?" She blinked. "Two Umbreons offering shelter to a lonely Espeon? I mean…"

"Come on," said Tia. "You don't look so good."

"Urf… I really shouldn't…"

She looked a little nervous, as if she wasn't used to people being so kind to her. She had been that way when we had helped her and when I had offered her the apple. "You do look tattered," I pointed out.

"But… I don't know…" She looked around for some reason. "What if someone tries to come after me?"

"Huh?"

"You know… other Umbreons don't take kindly to you helping me…"

"Come on, you even have that cloak on. Just tuck away that tail of yours and you'll be fine."

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I sipped some tea, feeling relaxed despite having a visitor. We had just finished a stew of vegetables I had put together for the three of us.

"Thanks Lloyd and Tia. That was quite delicious." Lily bowed her head down slightly in thanks. "I really can't thank you guys enough, that was the first good meal I've had since coming here."

"Glad to hear that," said Tia with a smile. "My brother is quite proficient at cooking."

"Indeed." Lily wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I believe you grew most of the ingredients yourselves? That was really tasty."

"Thanks," I said, standing up to put some bowls back. "You two go head to the bath, I'll go clean this up."

"Okay, thanks Lloyd!" Tia grabbed Lily's shoulder. "Okay, let's go wash!"

"Eh? You seem quite eager…" began the Espeon.

"I've always wanted to see what another race looks like naked!"

"What?!"

I chuckled. "That's my sister for you. Don't be a weirdo Tia," I called out. Polishing the bowls they had used, something caught my eye where Lily has been sitting. A small silver necklace with a black pendant, not unlike the jewel that all the Espeons supposedly had on their forehead. I was against touching it, though it certainly tempted me. It was unusual that it was black; I knew enough to realize that the ones actually on the Espeons were red. But something about it was unforgettable. I just couldn't place it. Hesitantly, I picked it up and looked closely at it. The pendant was a beautiful black, as if it was made of obsidian. Obsidian was only found in the West region, so I was curious as to where she had picked up such a rare material. Perhaps she had bought it here, though considering the hostility towards her, I thought that was unlikely.

I placed it down, though it still lingered in my mind. I'd ask her about it later.

"Lloyd, your sister…" I looked up to see Lily covered in a towel.

"Oh, you…"

She shook her head. "I don't want to be rude, but… she was so clingy…"

"Tia, leave poor Lily alone, okay?"

"Fine," she shouted.

"There, you'll be fine now."

"Thanks Lloyd…" Her eyes moved to the necklace. "Oh… I left that."

I picked it up and handed it to her. "Here."

She looked at me, something unreadable in her eyes before realizing she was staring. "I'm sorry," she said before closing the door behind her.

"About what…" I said, but she had already went back into the bath. "What was up with that…"

I heard the water splash as she sat down. I heard some quiet talking now, and hesitantly moved closer to the door. Tia was talking with Lily. "Your brother… you aren't related?"

"Hehe, no. Well, not by blood," explained Tia. "His parents joined our military and both vanished when he was young. My parents watched over him and I've known him throughout almost my entire life."

"Is that so…" There was some more splashing. "Did you ever know his parents?"

"No… why?"

"Well… I don't know… he seems to be unique…"

"In what way?"

"… I can't say." She paused before I heard her speak again. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right," said Tia. "If you don't want to tell us, it'll be okay."

"… Thank you." The Espeon sighed loudly. "This feels very nice…"

"Ehe, our parents let us use it only on weekends. But you're right. It is amazing. Ain't that right Lloyd?"

Tia always had good ears. "Sorry, just overheard you guys."

"Ah well… you can come join us you know…"

"Eh?!" Lily seemed very shocked at this. "I don't know if I'd…"

I groaned. "Come on Tia, don't freak her out."

"Sorry…"

"You two just hurry. I'm sweaty too you know." I took off my shirt and looked at myself in our bathroom mirror. We had a large bath, but the actual restroom was separated. There were a few wounds mostly from working, but nothing too noticeable. I took pride in being in good shape, but of course there wasn't a ton of use in being strong with what I did. If anything, stamina was more important, and the other workers did a lot of the harder stuff as well.

"Lloyd, we're finished…"

"Got it."

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After bathing, I turned on my lamp and continued my readings. Lily was going to sleep with Tia, so I was a little surprised when I heard knocking on my bedroom door.

I opened it. "Lily… what can I help you with?" She was wearing one of my sister's night gowns. It definitely was a little baggy around the chest… I shook my head. "It's quite late…"

"I know… but… I want to talk with you." I opened the door all the way and sat at my desk, while she sat on my bed. "So… you probably want to know who I am, right?"

"Well yeah. I still don't get why an Espeon would come here without good reason." I crossed my arms. "But I'm going to be honest… I get the feeling that you're dangerous."

"… Lloyd… I'm not going to hurt you or your sister. You two really saved me…" I looked at her. Her eyes were genuinely honest. "Please trust me…"

I turned away. "Listen… it's not that I don't like you… but you mentioned you're looking for somebody?"

"Oh, yes."

"So you should go find them quickly. Obviously, the people here aren't big fans of your type."

"Y-yeah. You're right." Blinking, she said, "You're lucky. Such a peaceful life for you and your sister." Smiling a little, she said, "I hope you don't forget that."

"I know." Hesitantly, I decided to talk a bit about myself. "One day… I do hope to leave this place."

"Huh?"

"Yeah… rather selfish I guess." I chuckled. "This is a good life. But… I'm bored of it. I want to learn, I want to explore." Looking out the window, I said, "My blood parents were part of the military. There was an operation up North in the mountains, but they went missing. I hope that one day… I can find out what happened."

Looking somewhat surprised, she said, "Your parents were lost to the Glaceons… huh."

"Well, I don't know if they died," I admitted. "I've accepted they're probably gone, but at the least, I hope to learn what happened." I shook my head. "But you're right, I should just focus on what I have to do here."

"No, that's admirable. You do have a knack for combat, I can tell." She looked at my hand. "Your control of that attack was impressive. You've obviously practiced a lot."

"You can tell?"

"Oh yes. I've done a lot of research. Remember I told you I've read up on it."

"You must have a lot of books."

She nodded, eyes glimmering. "There's so many books in our library back home." Her voice was wistful. "Yes…"

"A lot of books. Say, you guys have like an imperial library for the East right? Is that the one you're talking about?"

"Yup. When I was a child, I would spend a lot of time there sin-" She caught herself saying something, then said, "Excuse me. But yes, I've been there a lot."

The imperial library was by far the largest in the land. "That's something I would love to see one day." I sighed. "As you can see, we're much more militarized. But you guys value knowledge over power."

"Well, I wouldn't say that…" Stopping to think a bit, she said, "There's definitely issues…"

"I heard that the Glaceons were a little skeptical recently." I didn't expect her to respond as we were her enemy, but surprisingly, she did.

"Yes. There's not really a battle, and the Glaceons don't really see much need. They've been less interested in the war effort recently, mainly because of their ruler."

"I see."

Yawning, she said, "But maybe it's better. After all, it doesn't seem like the West is planning to attack on offense either."

I turned back to my book. "Hey, I want to show you some things…" I flipped through the pages a little while. "Here, is th-" She was lying on her side, eyes closed and breathing shallow as she slept. I scratched my head a little before rubbing my neck. Standing up with a sigh, I put the blanket over her and turned off my lamp before heading to Tia's room.

"Tia, can I come in?" I asked knocking on her door.

I heard her get off her bed before opening the door. "Huh? What are you doing here?"

"I was talking with Lily and she fell asleep on my bed," I explained.

"Oh ho? Not going to attack a sleeping maiden?"

I nudged her. "I think you have a spare cot."

"Yeah, in my closet," she said. "Should be an extra pillow too."

"Thanks." I grabbed the cot and pillow before heading back to my room. "Night Tia."

"Night Lloyd."

Going back into my room, I placed the cot down. Lily was still sleeping, and I quietly lay down on it before drifting to sleep.

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The next morning, I sat up groggily. The sun hadn't quite risen yet, and I looked up on my bed. Lily was still sleeping… or so I thought. Stretching my shoulders, I stood up and got ready to do my morning running.

"You're awake early."

I turned to her. "Good morning."

Yawning, she lay on her side. "You've got a comfy bed."

"Is that a compliment?" Stretching my calves, I said, "I'm going running."

"Oh okay. Umm… be careful."

I frowned. "Huh?"

"Nothing," she said, though I knew full well what she had said.

"Listen… how come you're so trusting of us?"

"I don't have a choice do I?"

"True, but-"

She pursed her lips. "You go exercise now. It's too early for me."

"That was my plan," I grumbled, though I left feeling a little funny. "Who would've thought there'd be an Espeon living with us?" I said to myself, locking our door.

As I ran along the dirt path that led into the city, I heard my name called out.

"Hey, Lloyd!"

I saw someone waving to me from a distance. Squinting my eyes, I recognized one of my old friends. "Len! What are you doing up now?" Len was the same age as me, but a little burlier and taller.

"Same as you, Lloyd." I grabbed his hand tightly in a shake. "Gotta be prepared for if we're attacked and need to join the force."

"Yeah, true."

"Say, did you hear about an Espeon?"

I paused, briefly thinking what to do. "Huh? An Espeon?"

"Yeah, there was supposedly one in the city a little less than a week ago. You and your cute little sister didn't see anything?"

"Well, we heard commotion," I said, not wanting to reveal we had any contact with her. "But I wasn't actually around to see anything."

"Hmm… well, let the officials know if you see anything. They've supposedly found out that she's a pretty important Pokemon."

I stiffened, but did my best to play it off. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know," he said with a shrug. "We've got some spies as I'm sure you know, but that's all I know."

"Where'd you hear this from?"

"One of the generals. He was talking about it at the store." Len's parents owned a smithing shop.

"Hmm… well, you gotta be careful with rumors. I'm not even sure a general would be given direct contact with spies," I pointed out.

"True," he conceded. "But yeah… just be careful. Never know if those bastards will hurt you." I thought of Lily. She certainly didn't seem like a bad Pokemon. But I nodded.

"Yeah, I'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

He nodded and said, "Well, I'll be see- oh wait, I almost forgot."

"Forgot? What is it?"

"Try drop by our shop next time you're in town. I know you and Tia are busy with the farm operation and all, but I've got a gift for you, since I still owe you."

"Owe me… oh, right." I remembered what it was. "I'll stop by soon."

"Great. Well, I'll let you go on your way. I'm on my way back home."

"Yes, see you Len." He waved back at me as he started running.

There was definitely a lot that I needed to clear up, especially considering that she now

had an apparent bounty upon capture. And if someone found out we were housing her… I quickly ran back home.

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"Well you're back early." Lily was sitting up on my bed when I came back, legs tucked against her body as she sat up. I must've looked a little unsettled because she quickly noticed it. "What's wrong?"

"I heard from a friend that you're actually pretty important." Glancing at her with narrowed eyes, I added, "Is this true?"

She was quiet before nodding slightly. "I'm sorry. I sh-"

"Wait, I never said anything yet." Rubbing my head, I said, "I know you're gonna say you should leave, but they're actively searching for you now apparently."

"But-"

"No, I'm not so terrible as to send you out there alone. They'll find you within a day. And who knows what they want to do with you at that point."

She hesitantly spoke. "So what's your plan then?"

"Well… what… no, who is it you're searching for?"

"I'm looking for an Umbreon… well obviously," she added. "What I am looking for specifically is the descendant of Prince Terren."

I frowned. "Didn't they go missing? Him and Princess Julie?"

"Ah…" She looked at me, clearly thinking, then said, "Yes they did. Or so that's what I thought. But there was new… evidence I suppose, that proves otherwise." She looked out my bedroom window. "You know how when you're a kid, you have no worries?"

"Yeah." I had worked on the farm since a young age, but I knew what she was talking about.

"Then as you get older, it all just comes crashing down… well, literally in my case." She smiled a little. "Yes, they both went missing and were separated. But there's proof that they have managed to find."

This changed a lot of things in my mind. What kind of proof? "How will you know who he is?"

"Well… I don't," confessed Lily. "But the first thing I'm looking for is a weapon. The blade of Prince Terren."

I froze. "The blade of prince Terren… " I dug through my desk before pulling out _The Eight._ Flipping through the pages, I felt the curious gaze of the Espeon.

"Lloyd, what are you… eh?!" She saw the book. "Oh my, that's… that's _The Eight_!"

I turned around. "You know this book? How come you're so excited?"

"I've heard of it, yes. We don't have it, seeing as there's only a single copy."

"What?"

"Yes… this book… only one of its kind." She looked at me before asking, "Can I touch it?"

"Eh? Uh sure."

She rested her hand on the pages. "This is a book I've always wanted to read. Where did you even pick up something like this?"

"It was something left behind from my parents." Smiling a little, I said, "At least that's what my adopted parents told me."

She looked through it. "Amazing… your parents got their hands on something like this. Say… I wonder… if it…"

"What?"

"Well, the blade of the prince. I don't know exactly what it looks like. It has a special mark, but other than that…"

I flipped through, heart pounding. "I know that page." I looked down. "Page 277. Here."

I opened it. This section had full illustrations of some of the most well known weapons in history throughout the races. "Th-that's it!" she said.

We looked at it together. A large obsidian sword with a red hilt. The design itself looked simple, but the coloring gave it an ominous look. I remembered looking at the sword as a kid, thinking that it'd be cool to have. "You need to find this sword? Why is that?"

She pointed at the hilt. "See this character?" It looked like a backwards three, similar to an E. Σ.

"Yes?"

"Its meaning alone has been somewhat lost, but it represents the royal bloodline. Now, this book itself doesn't mention anything about it, but that emblem should glow red if the blood of him or his descendants drips onto it. Or at least that's what the sources in our library said."

"So you need to find the blade?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, I don't know its whereabouts…" she began. "The current Umbreon royal family shouldn't have it. It vanished alongside himself as well as Princess Julie." She sighed. "So not only do I need to find the sword, but I need to find its current owner. But the sword is rumored to also be attracted to those who should wield it, so that should help somewhat."

I frowned, sitting back. "I do actually have a smithing friend. He was the one who told me that they're looking for you. But if you want to, I could go and try ask…"

"Of course. After you can give me a path and tell me a good route to avoid trouble, I can leave you and your sister in peace."

"Y-yeah. I'll go do that."

The Espeon smiled at me warmly. "You're a good guy, Lloyd."

I turned to her. "You think?"

"Yeah. You're serious sometimes, but you're also caring. That's cool."

I smiled slightly. "Thanks." I knocked on Tia's door. "I gotta run some errands, I'll be back by noon."

"Mmph," she grumbled.

"You make sure to get started. I'll bring you back something good to eat, all right?"

"Mmph," she repeated in almost identical fashion. She really wasn't a morning Pokemon.

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"Ah, Lloyd! Good thing you're here now. My parents are out." I had just arrived at the shop that Len's parents ran. There was a Flareon that looked about our age managing the flames.

After looking at her awhile, she turned around and frowned. "What do you need?

"Sorry, just not used to seeing Flareons." She sighed. "I get that a lot."

"I'm going to take Lloyd here to the back, you'll be okay managing the furnace right?"

"Got it," she said before turning back to the flame.

Len led us into an enclosed room. "So, I called you over here because I found something pretty cool. As you know, most of our weapons use a mixture of obsidian and steel. A few use titanium instead of steel."

"Oh, that's cool," I said. I knew this from my book of course, but I didn't want to disrespect Len, and he still had more strict weapon knowledge than me.

He looked at me, then sighed. "You look like you knew this already," he grumbled.

"Sorry," I admitted. "I read up on it."

"You're such a geek," he grumbled. "But anyways," he continued. "Do you know what a blood ruby is?"

"Blood ruby." I actually hadn't heard that mentioned before, so I was a little curious.

"Aha! I can tell you've never heard of that before." He reached into the leather apron he wore and pulled out a small red jewel. "Blood rubies are found only in Mount Scorch's interior." Mount Scorch was one of the two active volcanoes in the land, and existed in the South. It was the largest volcano and quite explosive. The Flareon capitol was built fairly close to it as well.

"But what's special about it? Isn't it just a type of ruby?"

He pulled out a small knife and made a small slit on his thumb. He dripped the crimson blood onto the ruby. "You see, though I don't have the scientific explanation for it…" He held it up for me to see, and it was glowing an eerie red color. It was an unusual glow, dark, but still gave off the light.

"It's glowing," I said, thinking back to the blade of prince Terren.

"Exactly. Maybe the rubies are vampiric, or something, but after they come into contact with blood, they lock that into them and upon contact with the same type of blood, it will glow."

"That's… that's amazing." The hilt of Terren's blade most certainly was made of blood rubies.

"Pretty cool, you gotta admit, right?" He chuckled. "Now, the reason I called you here… well, remember how you saved my father's life?"

A few years back, Len's father had been assaulted by bandits on his way to deliver a weapon. It had happened near our house, and he had received multiple stab wounds.

Tia and I had been on our way into the city to sell our goods when we saw the unconscious Umbreon on the side of the road. I had recognized my friend's father and we took him into our house. Tia stitched up his wounds and basically saved his life.

"It was the right thing to do," I said.

"Oh, but you'll be surprised how many would have just left him then turned in the body for money or something. But you're my friend. So as thanks…" He stood up and reached into a chest. He pulled out a sword. The hilt was made of the dark red crystals.

 _No way…_ I thought. There was a sheathe on, but I knew what it was as he unsheathed it. "That is-"

"Yup, it's a pure obsidian blade with a blood ruby hilt. I'm not exactly sure where we got it. But a few years back, someone sold it to us for a large sum of money. Now that we're pretty well off, my dad wanted a way to repay you. So you can have this sword. Sell it, keep it, use it as decoration. It's up to you."

"…" I wasn't even too sure what to say. "I can't believe you're giving this to me."

He patted me on the back. "Anything for a friend." He put on his leather gloves. "Though this is a gift of gratitude, I wouldn't mind you putting in a good word with your sister." He winked at me before leaving the room. "I gotta go help Embra now."

I pulled the sheathe off the sword. It was identical to the one in the image. "This has to be it," I murmured. "Out of all the weird coincidences, this… this is something." I held the sword with my right hand. It was remarkably light. I had trained with metal swords before. My adopted parents had one that we kept just in case. But this felt so much more natural and easier to use with a single arm. It just felt amazing. "No wonder a prince used this." I sheathed it, the put the strap over my shoulder. Leaving, I said, "See you Len."

"Bye Lloyd, be safe."

I waved at him as I left the shop. I was so excited I almost forgot to pick up some pastries for Tia. People did stare at me a little funny since I had a sword on my back, but thankfully, I ran into no problems from the bakery to my way home.

But little did I know how important both Lily and this sword would be.

 **End Ch. 1**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Lily and I stared at the sword on my bed. "Okay that was quite fortunate," she said with a chuckle after a few seconds. She rested her hand on it. "Yes… this has to be it."

I opened up my book. "Yeah, the pure obsidian blade… that hilt." I held it up, and it felt very warm. Even though it was my second time holding it, its sheer lack of weight still shocked me. Normally something like this should be heavy. I placed it down, and explained the hilt. "These rubies apparently will glow if it comes into blood contact with a descendant of Terren," I told her. "My friend Len told me how it works, and even showed me." A thought passed through my head. "Apparently though, he needed to have it come into contact with his blood for it to actually take on this property."

"Hmm… well… hopefully it is marked this way." She thought a little bit before saying, "Do you think that there's anyway to tell if it's working?"

"I don't think so," I said. "Even if I were to put my blood on it, I don't think there'd be a negative reaction. And at any rate, I don't think it'd be right to mark it even if it were not yet marked since this is a historical relic."

"You're right. But it did say that this sword does have a sort of attraction to its bloodline as well… but I wonder what it could be."

"I don't know. I didn't feel any sort of pull… though I'm not sure what to expect."

"Hmm… well at any rate, I think that I know a place to visit. Perhaps the people at his original hometown know something."

"I mean, this was many generations ago," I thought aloud. "How could there be any trace of that?"

"Well, that's my only plan of action." She looked at the sword for awhile.

"So… I guess you're going to be leaving then?" I asked, feeling a little more heavy hearted that i would've expected.

"Yes. It's better. I won't cause you guys trouble by staying here any longer."

"Y-yeah." I smiled before reaching into my desk. "Here." I pulled up a folded piece of paper. "This is a map of the West region." I handed it over to her. "You avoid the main roads and stick to the sides."

"Lloyd?"

Tia walked into the room. "Oh… is Lily leaving?"

"Yeah," said the Espeon. "I should start going. You take care of your brother, all right? He's a great guy."

"I know," she smiled. "We'll take care of each other." The two girls embraced each other briefly.

"It may have only been a day, but I'm so grateful for your kindness."

She turned to me, then gave me a hug as well. "A hug for you too Lloyd," she murmured. "After everything is done… perhaps we can meet again and exchange stories," she smiled.

I wasn't too sure what she meant by that, but I handed her the sword. "You be careful, especially with this blade. It might make you a target."

She smiled. "You haven't seen me angry, I can defend myself if I need to."

"I trust you. But we're still dark types, so don't go being reckless."

"I know."

"Well, I-"

"Hang on," said Tia. She vanished before coming back out with a small package. "There's some food and a little bit of money. It's not much, but-"

"You don't have to do this…" murmured the Espeon.

"No, I want to," said my sister with a smile. "That map, if I remember correctly, was another thing that Lloyd's parents left him."

"What?"

"Never mind," I grumbled before grinning a bit. We walked her outside, though she made sure to cover her head with the cloak first. It was a good amount past noon now. "Are you sure you don't want to stay overnight again?" I wasn't sure why, but I didn't want to see her go yet. There was so much…

"Yeah, I'm sure." She pulled out the map. "I'm going to head North, near the Jolteon border. Crescent Town. That's where Prince Terren was born." With a final smile and nod, but no words, she turned around and left for the town.

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"Do you think that she'll be all right?" asked Tia.

"I think so. She… well, we did have to help her. But she's smart. And I do feel that she is stronger than she let us know."

Tia nodded. "Yes… she never told us who she actually was right?"

"No…" I sipped my tea, and looked out the window. The moon was especially bright tonight. I sighed. "Well it's not likely we'll see her again."

Tia giggled. "Lloyd, you sound really sad."

"Huh? Well, no…"

"You're lying," she teased.

I sighed. "Well, maybe I wanted to talk with her a bit more. She seemed like a really interesting Pokemon," I admitted.

She crossed her arms. "It looks like I was beaten to the punch," she grumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing. Well… I'm going to go sleep now." She yawned. "Goodnight Lloyd."

"Hmm? Oh goodnight."

I made sure to give her a hug, to which she smiled before heading up the stairs. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Of course." Patting her, I said, "Sleep well." After she went up, I sat at the table, looking out the kitchen window. All the lights were off now, and it was peacefully dark. I closed my eyes, taking another drink of my tea. It was peaceful, yet now… after hearing about all the far away places from Lily, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I lightly hit my head a few times. My parents and Tia needed me. Those thoughts were selfish, and probably didn't matter.

I put my mug of tea into the sink after rinsing it out and walked up the stairs to my room. Tia's door was closed as I quietly walked past and into my own bedroom. I closed the door and turned on the light, looking at the book.

I did wish I had found out who she was. They had said that she was a very important figure. Perhaps she was some high ranking official… or maybe someone with knowledge. Or even someone of noble blood.

 _"After everything is done… perhaps we can meet again and exchange stories."_ Just what was she going to do? She needed to find a descendant of the prince. I sighed. It still wasn't clear, but I knew it was out of my control.

A gust of wind blew through my window, flipping the pages of the book. I closed the book and turned off the lights, not feeling like reading any more.

The breeze was chilly from the frozen Northern lands. Somewhere out there were my actual parents, dead or alive. But that didn't matter, I just wanted to learn the truth. "Someday…"

Then before I knew it, I had dozed off.

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"Well, at least we don't have to water the plants," joked Tia.

It was raining today, and it was still quite early in the morning. My early jog had been put off because of the pouring rain. "We didn't have much to do," I said, grateful most of the soil tilling had been finished by the workers who came to help us.

"Sheesh… I thought mom and dad would be back today, but this rain is going to delay them for sure. Traveling through here is going to be miserable."

"Mmhmm…"

On days like this, there wasn't much for us to do. We could go into the city perhaps, but we'd still get pretty wet from that. The crops just couldn't easily be harvested in this kind of rain.

Staring out the window, we watched the drops trickle along the glass. You couldn't see the distant mountains at all; even trees less than a mile away on a hill were hard to see.

"Hopefully, Lily found some shelter," commented Tia. "It must be awful."

As we watched, someone with a cloak on ran in front of our gate before heading towards our house. "Eh? Who's that?" I asked.

We heard the splashes as he ran towards the door. Then we heard the knocking.

I headed to the door, wondering who it could be. I quickly unlocked the door and opened it. "Hello, ho-" I didn't have time to react as he pushed his way into the house. "Hey, what-" The Pokemon walked around our house. I blocked him off. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Move kid, I know she's here."

"She? Are you looking for me?" asked Tia.

"The Espeon, where is she?"

"Wh- ugh!" I felt the tip of a knife under my chin.

"Lloyd!" gasped Tia.

"Stay back!" hissed the Pokemon. "Now… where is she?"

Thoughts raced through my mind. "She left, looking for someone," I said, doing my best to stay calm.

"How long ago?"

I quickly thought about it; this person clearly wanted to find her. "Three days," I breathed.

"Dammit," he hissed.

I was finally able to get a closer look. Those eyes weren't those of an Umbreon… rather… that of an Espeon. "Who are you?"

He glared at me. "Easy there, Umbreon. While my psychic attacks won't do much, this knife still can kill you."

"I get that."

The Espeon looked at Tia. "This girl… your girlfriend?"

"No, she's my sister."

"She's rather cute…"

Tia looked very scared. "Hey, leave her alone. I thought you were questioning me."

"Ah, you're right." He lowered the knife a bit. "So… tell me… where did she plan to go?"

"She was looking for an Umbreon…"

"Uh huh…" He nodded a bit. "Of course… hehe, this'll be easy…"

"What do you want with her?"

The Espeon chuckled. "We want to bring her back home. She's crazy." He flipped the knife a bit. "Well then, thanks for your information. Her family really misses her." Chuckling, he said, "Thanks for your help." He flipped his hood back on and dashed out into the rain.

"Hey, wa…" The door was still open.

Tia collapsed. "Lloyd… I thought we were going to die…" I was over to her side in an instant.

"Are you okay?"

She held my arm. "Lloyd, you need to be more careful…" she said. "If you were to die…"

"Don't worry," I said. "I can take care of myself… but that was my fault. I wasn't careful." I closed the door, and sat on the couch.

"H-he said he's going to try find her…" murmured Tia. "Someone that horrifying…"

I wrapped my arms around her. "…" I didn't know what to say. Just the thought of Lily being hunted by someone that crazy made me feel uneasy. She obviously didn't want to return.

"I hope she'll be all right…"

"Yeah…"

We both jumped as lightning struck. "Oh…" Tia held her chest. "That scared me…"

"Me too," I admitted. "But… hopefully…"

"Lloyd, I don't feel good… what if he kills Lily?" I stayed quiet. "She… we barely knew her. But she was sweet. And to think someone like that is after her…"

"What can we do though?"

"There's nothing we can do about it," I murmured, though I wasn't sure who I was talking to.

"I know… it just… I feel so helpless. We don't know what she was planning to do."

"Well… with everyone here looking for her too…"

We both sat there in silence. There was nothing we could reasonably do. Of course, what I would end up being forced to do was anything but reasonable.

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The rain continued on into the night. Tia was preparing some tea while I read a book.

"It's just not letting up at all," she murmured. "This storm just seems out of the blue."

"Yeah, definitely. I wouldn't have expected it given the weather we've been having recently." We hadn't been in a drought or anything, but it had been very sunny as of late.

The sound of her stirring the tea clicked through the living room. "I hope mom and dad found a nice place to stay," she murmured. "Hopefully this rain will let up and we can greet them once they come back. They should be back by tomorrow."

The book I was reading contained a bunch of various types of weapons and how to best use them. It was a fairly common one, unlike my unique cope of "The Eight". Chapter four was on swordplay, but I already was well versed on each of the weapons' usage.

Each of the eight species generally was known for specializing in a type of weapon, though of course there were a few I hadn't been in contact with. "Say, Lily didn't have a staff did she?"

Tia shook her head. "No." Espeons typically used staffs as psychic directors, allowing them to disperse and amplify their power.

"Hmm…" Perhaps she kept it tucked away somewhere, or maybe she wasn't trained in combat. Our military were mainly swordsmen, so it made sense that I was at least somewhat skilled in that type of combat. But I did spend more time training on my own, so I was confident in my abilities.

"Lloyd… you're sure caught up in how she's doing," murmured Tia.

"… I just feel… she's something special. Like she's part of something very important."

Tia smiled a little. "If you say so."

I hugged my sister. "It's selfish of me to think about stuff like that." Burying my head into her shoulder, I added, "Sorry."

"Jeez, Lloyd, no need to be so clingy. You scold me when I hug you like this…" But warmly, she added, "We all have our dreams, so there's no shame in thinking about other things like that." Thoughtfully, she said, "You know, she was pretty."

I released Tia, patting her. "I'm going to sleep now."

"Night brother. Hey…"

She stopped me as I walked up the stairs. "Yes?"

"You know… you shouldn't be staying up so late studying those books."

"It's okay, I want to become as knowledgable as I can. Never know when I'll find something that might help us."

"Lloyd… you're troubled…"

I stopped before continuing up the stairs. "I'm fine."

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My dream that night was bizarre. But I recognized the foggy area where my previous dream had been. This time though, Lily wasn't around.

I was standing on some wooden planks suspended above the water; it appeared to the "dock" from my previous dream. I could feel water push against the supports, and its lapping at the wood surrounded me with the quiet sound. I shivered slightly; it was very cold, even taking into account the fog. I couldn't see very far ahead of me. Squinting, I made my way forward along the uneven wood.

It creaked eerily, though it was likely just because I couldn't see. Then I heard a scream. I whipped to my right, where it sounded like it had come from. The path extended across that way with water on both sides of a thin area. I heard voices, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Running quickly, I came to an area where it widened again.

"Who's there?"

Looking around, I prepared to attack. But there was no sound aside from the water. Whoever had been here had clearly left. Stepping forward cautiously, I noticed something laying in the distance. I felt sick, my mouth becoming dry.

Kneeling over it, I noticed it was Lily's dress. Nothing else but her dress and the pendant she wore. "Lily?" I shouted, looking around. "Lily!"

I don't know if it was the fog, but my voice was still quiet. The creaking continued.

"Lily…" I was somewhat conscious that this was a dream, but even then, I felt extremely sick at the thought of Lily…

Then suddenly, the platform began rocking a little. I bent my knees to stabilize myself. Turning around, I suddenly noticed a large black shadow in the distance. I didn't have any sort of weapon on me.

As it got closer to me, I began to realize that it wasn't an object; rather, it was a wave of darkness, as if night was setting in. I couldn't move as it swept me up.

I opened my eyes, feeling as if I had lost something. The dream was still fresh in my mind.

"Lloyd…"

I turned to my left towards my doorway. Tia stood there, her skin looking paler than normal. I sat up. "What is it?"

Her voice quivered as she held out a piece of paper. "Th-the army… they came…"

I quickly got up and rested my hands on her shoulders. "What is it?" I didn't know what they could want. I opened the piece of paper. I looked at the words for awhile, then crumpled it up. "Tia…"

"It's okay… I'll be fine…"

"We should run-"

"Mom and dad aren't back yet," she murmured. "We can't…"

"… I'm… sorry. We shouldn't have taken in Lily…"

She hugged me tightly. "I'll be all right."

"When did they give this to us?"

"I went downstairs to get water and heard footsteps. When I came to the door, it was posted already."

I whipped the ball of paper at my bed. "This… this is all my fault."

"Lloyd… please don't blame yourself," she said softly. "I'll be fine…"

"Will you really?" I choked.

"We'll talk with them tomorrow morning."

We sat together on my bed for the rest of the night, scared at what was to come.

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I held out the wrinkled piece of paper. "The chief of the military asked me to come in."

The guards looked at each other before moving out of my way. Tia followed close behind me. We were visiting the royal palace technically, but merely the small part of it related to the military operations.

A large black door stood between us and the room we were supposed to go. Glancing back at Tia, I pushed it open to reveal a fairly large circular room. There were few windows and the floor was a black marble. There were numerous desks around the outside of it, behind each one sitting what I assumed to be a general.

"Ah… you must be Lloyd." At the far end of the room sat another Umbreon. His hair was very well trimmed.

Unsure of what to do, I nodded. "Yes, that's me."

"Perfect," he said with a smile. "So you must know why I called you here, hmm?"

"… How did you figure something like that out?" I asked.

He chuckled standing up. "I know a lot of Pokemon. You'd be surprised at how much I know about you. But…" He walked over to me. "I do know that you housed an enemy that we're trying to hunt, and you do need to pay for that."

"What do you need?"

"You already know the deal." He turned around. "Initially, the plan was to have your sister work for us. She's already one of the smartest girls around."

That was true. Tia was definitely smart when it came to a lot of things. But she spoke up. "I would prefer to stay working with my brother and parents though. You know as well as all of us that we're lacking farmers."

"Of course, that's a reasonable response." Looking at us again, he said, "But if your sister can't pay us in knowledge, there must be some other way for you to repay us." Pausing, he said, "I've heard that you've learned a very uncommon, yet potent technique. Dark Pulse."

I didn't know how he had found this out, but I had no choice but to nod. "Yes."

"Hmm…" He grinned, and I felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden. This Umbreon gave me bad vibes. "Do you think that you could bring back that Espeon to us?"

Blinking, I asked, "Bring her back?"

"Yes. You obviously know her quite well if she was comfortable staying with you. And she clearly trusts you in that case. So with your inherent type advantage, it should be quite easy for you to incapacitate her and bring her back here."

Tia spoke up now. "What do you want her for?"

"Oh? She didn't tell you?" The Umbreon seemed surprised, then laughed. "Well well, Lloyd… Tia… it seems she wasn't completely upfront with you. That Espeon we're looking for is none other than Princess Lily."

"Princess… you mean…"

"Oh yes, that's what I mean all right. That Espeon has royal blood in her veins. And that is why we want to capture her."

Tia and I looked at each other. "So…"

"Here's the deal, Lloyd." He walked up to me. "Your sister is going to be staying with us. We won't hurt her and it's not a prison or anything. But she's going to be a hostage of sorts until you bring us back the princess."

"You can't…"

"It's not all bad. All we need is the Espeon. That simple."

I looked at Tia, who gave me a hug. "Lloyd, we've expected this since we got the letter. I'll be fine."

I turned around. "Can I trust you all?"

"You have my word."

I was still hesitant. "I don't have any other choice do I?"

"Well, your sister could stay here and work with us… but no, you wouldn't be able to see her much. Her knowledge according to those who know her is that valuable."

"I… understand." I hung my head. "Tia… please forgive me."

"Lloyd… you don't have to do this. It might be dangerous…"

"No, I'll do it. It's you…"

She looked up at me, then smiled. "Lloyd… please don't worry about me. I believe in you." She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good luck, Lloyd."

I looked at her, surprised. "Tia…"

She smiled. "I've got the stuff I need." She had packed some stuff and seemed to be well prepared, as the instructions on the letter had said. "We'll see each other soon enough."

"Y-yeah…"

We hugged one last time. It took all my self control not to cry, but I had a job to do. I had to find Lily and bring her back. For Tia's sake.

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I had been equipped with a sword that they gave to me once I left the room. "Our lightest metal," they had said. "Probably won't need it though," added the burly Umbreon who gave it to me.

Holding it out, it hadn't felt anywhere as natural as the blade of Prince Terren, but I accepted it with a nod. "Thanks."

Our parents still hadn't come back yet by the time I got home, but I knew that the Espeon would continue to get farther away as time passed. I quickly laid out all the things I needed onto the bed. A map, some clothes, extra food, a spare dagger, my copy of _The Eight_ and finally a charm Tia had gotten me as a birthday gift a couple years back. Biting my lip lightly, I quickly packed it and put it on my shoulders. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, I quickly wrote a short blurb for my parents.

 ** _Hey mom, dad. So… Tia and I while you were gone got into some trouble with an Espeon. I'm not too sure what else to say, but the notice they sent to me is right by this paper._**

I reached into my pocket and unfolded the paper again. I stared at the words for awhile before placing it on the table and continuing to write on the paper.

 ** _Anyways, that explains itself. She's going to be working with the military on whatever they're doing until I manage to bring back the Espeon we housed. I only hope that Tia is all right and that you can forgive me for what I have caused for your daughter. I will be back soon._**

Which was obviously untrue. Well, I didn't know at this time how long I'd be away. Not wanting to ramble on, I finally closed it.

- ** _Lloyd_**

Swallowing, I placed the pen down. I grabbed our house key as well as a sack of gold coins I had collected over the years. I knew that I had to hurry or else the Espeon would get too far away. I didn't know where she planned to go once she found a descendant of Terren.

Locking the door behind me, I looked outside. It was noon, but there was a town that I thought I could reach by nightfall.

This entire sequence of events seemed almost surreal. I'm sure that there was more that happened and that I'm just forgetting the important parts, but this entire day had gone by so quickly… I just wanted to curl up and sleep until it all vanished. But I had a job to do, and I needed to accomplish it. There wasn't any time to despair.

"Lily… I'm sorry… but I'm going to need to find you." It was ironic that I had felt the urge to go with her and help her, and now I was almost forced to find her and become her enemy.

Walking along the dirt path, I began to head towards the town where I had told Lily to go.

At least it was quite sunny today and not pouring like yesterday, and there was a soothing breeze now. Fall was just starting, but thankfully, there wouldn't be snow for a few more months. Our Western side didn't have a lot of dense forests. It was primarily plains and fields with some hills and a few small woods. It was quite decent for farming compared to even the Leafeons' territory. I did hear that the Jolteons' were also quite similar landscape-wise, with large open fields. But they also had a highly developed city, much more than ours. The sun was just beginning to set as I came to the crossroads; one went North towards the village I had directed Lily and the other went near the Leafeons' land. Turning to my right, I followed the path North along a small lake. It was quite the view, with the sun setting behind some coastal mountains that separated the far West land from the sea. I paused a bit to take in the nice view and calm myself. "I guess I really am lucky not to live where it's freezing or by a volcano."

By my estimates, I'd be walking about an hour in darkness, but even then, there were some travelers who would go by me every so often. It was a little chilly, but thankfully, my cloak kept me fairly warm.

Nothing surprising happened as I came to the town. I had read up on this town and apparently, it was known for being a decent fishing place. There wasn't anything especially notable about it otherwise.

I stopped at an inn that looked to be fairly popular; the bottom floor was a bustling bar that specialized in seafood. "Welcome," yawned an Umbreon who didn't seem to be all here.

I nodded to him before sitting down at the bar itself.

"Ah, welcome to our inn! Here to stay or just looking for a drink?" asked the bartender.

"Both," I replied. "Just some water and I'll look at your menu."

"Got it." He walked away to get some stuff ready, and I sighed before resting my head on the table. After he gave me a glass with water, I thanked him and looked around. This really was a pretty happening place. The town was smaller, but it did remind me of the capitol.

"Pretty busy here, isn't it?"

"Hmm? Oh, you must be a traveller." The bartender chuckled, passing me a menu. "Yes, we're pretty happy here. Where are you from? The capitol?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Ah, well, there you have it. We're farther from the border so there's less worry for us, so we're pretty relaxed."

Opening the menu, I thought about what he said. "Yeah, it must be nice."

"So what brings a city dweller like you out here?"

"It's not really that far away," I said. "But I'm a farmer."

"Hmm? A farmer you say…" He frowned. "Well, you sure seem quite thoughtful and educated for someone who just works on the farm."

"I spend a lot of time studying. I planned to join the army one day, but…" Now that I finally acknowledged what had happened and what they were forcing to do, I knew that it wasn't an option or desire. I shook my head. "Anyways…"

"Young and uncertain, I understand."

"I'll take the baked daily special." Closing the menu, I handed it to him.

"Oh, that was quick."

"Well, it's what you're known for."

As he went to tend to the other customers, I overheard something interesting from a table behind me. "So, about that Espeon."

"Mmhmm… I don't know why an Espeon, a female nonetheless, would wander here. Perhaps she's a spy."

I listened carefully. Apparently, the fact that the military wanted to capture her hadn't reached out here yet.

"She was heading up towards the border town between us and the Jolteons. Wonder what she could want there really. There's nothing up there at all."

"Yup. But you never know with them. She might kidnap a kid or something."

I blinked. It was amazing how much just talking with Lily had changed my view on Espeons. Maybe I couldn't trust her actually… but it was hard to believe.

"Kidnap a kid?" The bartender chuckled. "I don't think an Espeon would be that stupid to do something like that in hostile territory. Besides, she came in here a couple nights back."

Turning to the bartender, I asked, "She was here?"

"Oh yes. She had a cloak on to try conceal herself, but I know what I saw and pink hair ain't an Umbreon. She sat a couple seats over from you," he pointed. "She was quiet, but very polite. Maybe they all aren't evil," he said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, maybe," I said.

He placed down a plate. "Fish is ready, enjoy!"

"Thanks."

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The room was small, but it was quite pleasant. The bed took up the left side of the room and there was a closed window as well as a desk. I put my belongings down on the desk, and opened the window a crack before sitting on the bed a bit. The bathhouse was fairly close; undressing, I wrapped a towel around my lower half, though I kept my cloak on top to stay warmer.

The bath was very pleasant, with wooden dividers separating the individual pools. Rather than just being one large pool, it had individual stalls. Sighing, I lowered myself into one. The steam that rolled in the air made breathing easy.

It was open up top, and I looked up. The moon was very big, and I stretched, enjoying the lighting on my skin. Umbreons typically would hit our peak during the 10:00-2:00 time period at night, experiencing enhanced strength, speed, and even reducing the pain we'd feel in combat. That said, we'd still often work during the day because it was more efficient and when all the other Eon species were asleep, it would make trades harder to come by.

Normally, we'd be so drained during the day, but moon bathing felt great. I scrubbed my tail a bit, and then closed my eyes. I did feel a little guilty about Tia, but I pushed it to the back of my mind. She would be okay for now. The water had a perfumy aroma that I noticed now that reminded me of flowers.

My black hair spiked up as I washed it; maybe in a month or so, I'd need a haircut. Normally, Tia would take care of it for me. I shook my head again. No point thinking about her.

Rather, I needed to think of how to bring back an Espeon. Deep down, I knew the easiest way would be to trick her into coming with me, but I didn't think I'd have the heart to do that, even for Tia's sake. A straight up confrontation and plea would be ideal, and then hopefully, she'd come with me willingly.

I sighed. I couldn't guilt her into doing that, and she seemed confident enough to at least try fight me should I ask her that. I still didn't have a full sense of her abilities, and if I got careless, it could still be disastrous. I needed to know what I was up against, but I wasn't sure how much time it would take.

Standing up and drying off, I knew what I had to do.

Once I got back to my room, I opened up the book and flipped to the page titled, "Trainings from the Eight Masters; a Collection of Combative Teachings."

I knew it was an old book, but I knew that the techniques probably hadn't changed that much for the armies. And I had to prepare for anything Lily could throw at me. I turned to page 332. _"Weaknesses of the Espeons."_

 _Well well… if you're reading this section, you're probably either an Umbreon or maybe another Espeon trying to take out another. Didn't you see the warning?_

I smiled a bit. Whoever had written this book knew a lot and knew how people would react to reading it. The section that discussed the weaknesses of each species had been given a disclaimer.

 _Well then, let's being with their philosophy which I discussed earlier…_

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The next morning, after dropping off the key to the innkeeper, I headed back on my way up to Crescent Town. "Maybe another day," I murmured to myself, thinking about whether or not she found a relative of Prince Terren. If she had, I may never realistically see her again.

But I had to hope that I was prepared to combat her if necessary. And there was no doubt that I would see her again.

Walking along the path, I would nod to anyone who passed me. They'd smile back at me, whether it was an older lady or a boy.

Perhaps they wouldn't have been so quick if they understood how awful I felt. The book had made me feel sick. It was like finding an instruction manual on torture. But I had known it for awhile. That book had information on almost everything, both good and bad.

I remembered the reading from last night. _Well, that's all there is to it. Easier said than done of course. But that's how you beatdown as Espeon._ The author of the book must have been both a genius and crazy. He knew so much in combat, history, and technology.

And yet, I didn't know if I ever would have liked to meet the author.

It was a little more difficult of a path today, going up along a ridge. There were a few more trees, but our region was known primarily for its fields, and even then, there weren't the dense forests of the Southwest.

But it was steeper and there were fair drop-offs on one side as I made my way up. Thankfully, the path was wide. I certainly enjoyed looking at the vast fields below. I could see the town where I had rested last night partially hidden behind a large hill and a little more South, I saw Moonview City.

Once I reached the plateau atop the ridge, I sat underneath a small tree. Opening up my bag, I pulled out some bread, cheese, fish, and a few berries that I had bought before I left.

Chewing on it, I watched the Pokemon walk past. Occasionally, I'd see a Jolteon walk past, though the majority were still Umbreons of course.

"Mind if I join you?" An older Umbreon walked by me, though his tone was very relaxed.

"Mmm," I nodded, chewing on some cheese.

"Ah…" He sat down next to me before asking, "Unusual to see a young guy like you out here traveling."

I swallowed my cheese. "Yeah, heading up to Crescent Town."

"Crescent Town huh?" He stretched. "There's not a whole to do there to be honest. Girl maybe?"

I paused, unsure of what to say. "Well, you could say that."

"Ah, great to see young Umbreons in love. But anyways, what's your name?"

"Lloyd."

"Pleasure to meet you Lloyd. I'm heading down to the capitol." He leaned against the tree. "I'm going to visit my family." Closing his eyes, he said, "I hope they're well."

"Do you have kids?" I asked.

"Yes, two daughters. They're the cutest little things."

"I can imagine." He sighed. "Their mother has been very busy. She's one of the best nurses around, and I deliver specialized medicines." He patted the large bag over his shoulder. "There's a lot of people counting on us."

Watching him, I said, "You're a good guy, aren't you?"

"I'd like to think so," he smiled. "But we do make decent money, so it's not like we're exactly suffering to help others."

"That's great."

"Mhmm, it sure is." We sat there for a little while in silence before opened up his pack. "The reason I talked with you is because I'm looking for someone who's heading to Crescent Town." After rummaging a bit, he pulled out two brown vials.

"What do you need?"

"You see, I believe that I missed a delivery. It was a minor issue so it slipped past me, but it was indeed a request that I had missed, and I'm already heading home."

Nodding, I said, "Okay. I can make a delivery."

"This is a second vial as well. I do have money, but this is a special antidote that recovers not only poison, but acid burns as well, repairing burned tissue. If you visit the local pharmacy, they should give you a hefty sum of money. Or perhaps you can save it for an emergency."

"All right. I can do that."

"Thank you, Lloyd." He handed me a piece of paper. "Here's the address."

I folded it up and tucked it away. "Thank you. I'll take care of this."

"No, thank you. They said it wasn't an emergency, but you'll be helping someone. I would've had to head back if you hadn't been here."

"I see."

He stood up. "Well, I'll be going now. Perhaps we'll meet again at the capitol." Smiling, he said, "Yes, I feel it. Until next time, Lloyd."

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I decided to trudge on through the night this time. There was a small rest stop, but I figured I could get there before morning. At any rate, the moonlight still did keep me energetic. I ended up arriving a couple hours before sunrise, and checked into a small inn.

I wasn't too sweaty since the night was cool, but I would've liked to take a bath. The inn here didn't have quite as nice baths, but it was adequate as I soaked before drying off and taking a short nap.

My sleep wasn't plagued by some weird dreams, and I woke up feeling pretty good. After washing up and getting changed, I pulled out the map which had the information I needed. It looked to be a fifteen minute or so walk away.

I left most of my stuff back in my room, though I made sure to keep a couple small knives on me just in case. I carried the medicine and note in a small bag as well as some money with me.

The town had a very focused feel to it that was distinct compared to Moonview City or the smaller town I had visited earlier. There weren't necessarily a lot of Pokemon, but they seemed quite focused on what they were doing. At the very center of the city was a massive clock tower, built for us by our Jolteon allies. It rang out as it hit eight in the morning, though the Umbreons mainly seemed to ignore it. I noticed that there were quite a bit of Jolteons, though given how close it was to the border of our two regions, it wasn't too surprising.

A small stream flowed through the town, and there were numerous bridges crossing it. I stayed along the stream, as the place I was delivering it to was near where it exited the town. Listening close to the trickle, I walked along the cobblestone roads. "This town… it's such a peaceful place."

I arrived at the place not long after. It was a house that seemed to mix in with the rest of the town. I knocked on the door, and it quickly opened. "Hello?"

"Hi, I'm here to deliver some medicine." I held up the bag and the slip.

"Oh…" The lady at the front looked not much older than myself. She took it graciously. "Our daughter needs this, thank you." She bowed her head down. "Please come in for some tea."

I was hesitant, but I finally decided to. "All right, thank you." Sitting down at the table, I watched as she prepared some tea.

"What's your name?"

"Lloyd. I'm visiting from the capitol."

"Lloyd…" She seemed to think about something before shaking her head. "Never mind, I was thinking of someone else. My name is Aisha." She placed the hot tea down in front of me. "This is our local blend, using leaves that grow just outside the city."

"Thank you." I sipped it. "This is very good."

Smiling, she nodded. "Well, I shall go administer the medicine to my daughter. I'll be back."

I looked around the kitchen. It was a nice house. There was a faint smell of flowers and honey, which was soothing. "Say, did you hear about the Espeon around here?" I asked after I heard her footsteps getting louder again.

"An Espeon? Hmm… I think I overheard someone mention her. They worked at the clock tower."

"Yes, I'm actually looking for her."

"Oh? Looking for an Espeon?" She sat across from me. "How interesting…" She crossed her legs. "What could you want with her?"

It didn't seem like any reports of her bounty had made it this far, though it was clear that she was remaining hidden. Hesitantly, I said, "I'm not completely sure."

"You don't hate them, do you?"

"Hmm?"

"You're not that kind of Umbreon. I can tell. Up here… we're not hateful towards the psychic types like the capitol is." She sipped her tea. "Ah well… I'm sorry, I don't know much about an Espeon or where she might be. People have seen her around, but she generally blends in. We wouldn't really worry ourselves much with a single Espeon either."

I sighed. "Ah well, that's all right."

"I'd love to show you around, but I need to take care of the baby. Do you have a place to stay?"

"Yes, I'm resting at a local inn."

"Okay, well, stay here as long as you like Lloyd."

Shaking my head, I stood up. "It's all right, I should really get going. Want to get home to help my sister."

Dipping my head in thanks, I got ready to leave. She bowed her head as well. "Ah, I understand. It's not like our daughter would've been terribly sick, but she did have a fever, so it means a lot. If I can every do anything to help you, please do not hesitate."

With a nod and a smile, I turned around and left the house, closing the door behind me. Shading my face with my hand, I looked up at the clock tower. It stood above the rest of the town, appearing to be nearly triple the height of any other building. It probably would make sense to visit. I was hesitant though. If she was there, was it really ethical to try knock her out quickly? But I knew what I had to do; this was for my sister.

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Walking towards the base of the clock tower, I threaded my way through the crowds. Aisha had been right, as the air of the town was the same as before. Busy, but relaxed.

When I finally arrived at the bottom of the tower, I looked up. It really was unlike anything else I had seen before, glimmering as if it were made of marble rather than brick. The entrance was opposite of its shadow, and I walked around to that point. A doorway led to some stairs. It had to be many, many flights. Tightening my pack, I made my way up.

By the time I made it up to the observatory, my calves were burning, but I was still all right. A wooden door was in front of me, and I reached out my hand to open it.

Suddenly, I heard a loud noise, followed by a thud. "Y-you…" said a voice weakly. It seemed to come from the right side of the room.

"Stupid. Going against a trained assassin… a plushy princess. I gotta say, your magic attacks hurt even with my resistance. But this… Shadow Ball… will finish it."

I readied my knives, and kicked open the door. He whipped around. "Hey-"

I quickly activated Dark Pulse, coating most of the room with a hemisphere of darkness. Within the shadows only I could see, and it gave me a chance to understand the situation. Lily was down on the ground on the right. Her adversary was on the other end; he had managed to escape the shadow, but he was clearly on guard, knowing that touching it would put him at a disadvantage. I quickly collapsed the attack, dispelling it.

"Oh?" Now that I could get a better look, I immediately recognized who it was; the same Espeon who had attacked us back at our house. "Well, if it isn't you," he said, eyes dangerous.

"L-Lloyd… what are you doing here…"

Lily had been knocked to the ground, and seemed quite beat, but the injuries didn't look too urgent. "I…" Unsure of what to say, I turned to face the other Espeon.

"Hmm? To think you would come after me… to protect an Espeon… geez, talk about trying to be a hero. Disgusting." He smirked. "Well, I guess I know why you're here, since I am the one who told them about you and your family."

He was the one who had caused all this trouble. I felt my body get warm with rage. I didn't say anything, merely positioned myself. The teachings from the book were still fresh in my mind; how to carve an Espeon in combat.

 _First is to get into their mind. Your priority is the ruby on their forehead; that is a limiter for their psychic energy, and if they experience long periods of time without it, the psychic stress it puts on their body will result in heavy mental and internal damage. You can break an Espeon mentally this way and force them into your bidding. It is a well kept secret that none of the other races know._

Using such a technique on Lily would have made me hesitant. However, all the problems were caused by this Espeon. I didn't need to have mercy. If I did this properly,

 _Of course that's easier said than done. It's locked there with a psychic force. That said, a heavy blow to that area, or a careful pluck can remove it with enough strength, though the latter requires a circular motion. They excel in two kinds of combat; staff based and knife based. Espeons are one of the smaller species, and they don't have the physical strength up close, relying on speed and distance typically in combat. Their tail as well as the glowing of their eyes and their ruby is how I've learned to combat them. Each has their own tendencies, but once you understand it, every attack has a warning signal._

"Warning signal," I murmured. "Every attack…" I wound up before throwing a knife at him.

He quickly knocked it away which his own weapons. "Throwing a knife at me?"

Whether instinct or training, he wasn't going to use his moves unless he needed to. Power points were still very important. Now his eyes glowed pinkish. _Watch closely,_ I told myself, looking at his tail stiffen. A Shadow Ball formed on his palm, and he seemed to be looking for an opening.

"Lloyd, be careful…" said Lily.

Not taking my eyes off of him, I watched as he launched it at me with a flick of his wrists. It was coming quicker than I had planned, so I was forced to launch out a small dark pulse to intercept it as I rolled to the side. "Hmph," he grumbled. "How about this?" I had barely gotten back to a standing position as another attack flew towards me. I quickly ducked under as the attack crashed into the wall behind me. "You're gonna need to get on offense if you want to beat me!" he shouted.

I looked around. I needed some way to divert his attacks. The technique Shadow Ball wasn't much of a threat to us Umbreons, but repeatedly taking it could lower our Magic Resistance, or special defense technically. I needed a weapon that could divert it. My knives wouldn't work for this kind of thing. "Shit… if only I had brought my sword with me…"

I had lost focus. The next thing I next, I felt a hard impact in my side and was launched backwards. Time seemed to slow down as I flew back, head ringing. When I finally landed, I sat up. Reaching to my side, I looked down. The attack had actually cut me, much to my shock. My cloak was darkening with blood. "Lloyd!" I didn't know how he had managed to do so much damage in a single hit.

Lily crawled over to me. "Lloyd…"

"Hmph. Move out of the way Lily."

"Why… he has nothing to do with this… I… ack…"

He crouched over her, hand on her neck. "Princess… I've got direct orders to return you back home. If I can't do that, I was given permission to kill you."

I looked around in panic. I couldn't let Lily die; both for myself and Tia. Then I saw it. The sword of obsidian. It was next to them. It looked close enough so I could reach to grab it. Steadying my breathing, I lunged for the sword, grabbing its red hilt.

"Eh? Still not giving up?"

His eyes glowed, and I recognized the Shadow Ball attack again. "Not this time," I said, activating Dark Pulse, enshrouding all three of us in darkness. I pulled myself to my feet.

"Tsk," he said, letting go of Lily and backing to the edge. I was able to easily lift the blade despite my wound. It really was magnificently crafted to be so light despite its composition. I finally stopped the attack, standing between Lily and the other Espeon. "Oh? You can use that weapon? Hmph… a weapon like that… well, it's too late." I noticed him preparing for a Shadow Ball again; I realized that he probably didn't have any other non-psychic attacks if that was what he was using. I quickly funneled my attack through the sword, launching a projectile based disc at the Espeon. His eyes opened wide as the attack flew towards him with speed even I couldn't have expected, striking him directly in the chest, sending him flying. He stood up a lot quicker than I would've liked, but he was hunched over. "You… argh…"

"You've broken some ribs," murmured Lily. "It's not wise for you to keep going."

"… So be it. It seems that you do know how to use a weapon like that somewhat." He narrowed his eyes at me before turning to Lily. "I'll bring you back. Your 'sister' is waiting."

Lily didn't flinch away. "Do your worst. I'll stop you on my own."

He backed out of the room, vanishing down the stairs. "Lloyd…" Lily pulled herself near me. "Here… I can heal your wound."

Holding her hands over the bloodied cloth, she closed her eyes, and a warm glow emitted from her hands. "Lily…"

She rested her hand on mine now. "I'm sorry for getting you involved."

"What do you mean?"

"… The Espeon. He explained that you would be coming to try take me back."

I blinked. So she already knew. "Yeah," I finally said awkwardly.

"Apparently, he was the one who reported me to the officials. I… ow!" Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to sit up.

I looked at her legs. "Sprained ankle," I observed.

"Yes… it's… pretty bad."

"You can't heal it?"

She shook her head. "Morning Sun can't repair stuff like that, only flesh wounds. But we need to get down to the bottom."

I peered over the door, then sighed. "Can you carry both our stuff on your shoulders?"

"I think so, yeah."

I held the sword, watching it glimmer slightly. With the commotion gone, the sound of gears and ticking was all there was now. I kneeled down. "I used to give Tia piggyback rides when we were younger."

She looked at me, then sighed. "I guess there's no other way," she murmured, though she was clearly amused. "All right. Let's get down first, then we can discuss what to do… and I'll tell you everything that I know."

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"Ugh…" Even for someone who had worked in the fields all day, it wasn't easy carrying another Pokemon down that many flights of stairs. On top of the injury that still ached even after Lily's healing, I was absolutely drained by the time I returned back to the room I was staying. I plopped down onto a chair.

"I'm sorry, Lloyd," she said in shame. "I guess I am heavy…"

"Not at all," I said. Which was true. Even if she was a lot lighter than me, 75% of my weight still wasn't easy. "Another Pokemon is just hard to carry down that many steps." I threw an ice compress we had picked up from the front desk. "Hold this against your ankle for now."

"Thank you Lloyd… for… always saving me. Is this three times now?"

"I don't know," I said, though she was right.

"I shouldn't have come here…" she murmured. "I know the situation your sister is in…"

I was quiet. "See… well… you already know why I'm here then, don't you?"

"I… well, I'll come with you," she said, bowing her head. "I owe you my life… perhaps even more than that."

I blinked. "Okay."

"B-but…" She looked up. "Well, I'll try convince you otherwise. I have to at the least."

"What do you mean?"

"Lloyd… I'm trying to end this whole conflict." She reached into her top and pulled out her necklace. She lifted it off over her pink hair. "This necklace… I believe it can lead to peace for us all." She held it out. "So please listen to what I have to say before you choose to take me back to Moonview City."

 **End Ch.2**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

I sat in the bath, enjoying the steam rising up. There were divided stalls, but the glass roof let moonlight in as I washed. It was certainly smaller than the outpost town.

I heard some splashing from the bath next to me. "Lloyd?"

Lily had been next to me, cleaning herself as well. "Yes?"

"Do you believe what I showed you?"

I didn't need to hesitate. "Yeah," I said. "It was too… real… to be anything else."

Some splashing ensued. "You're a little stranger than even the others I've met. I've told you this before, but… you're a real thinker. You're thoughtful… more than most Espeons I know. I thought that…" She paused, and I heard some splashing again before she continued. "I thought you were all… bad Pokemon," she said in embarrassment.

"Maybe I am," I said. "But… I thought the same about you, to be honest. I wanted to… but when you were attacked… even though it was for Tia, I wanted to help you. I should have treated you as the enemy… but I can't."

"Well… I'll stick to what I said, of course. You can mull over what I said. But whatever you choose, I'll go without a fight." It sounded as if she stood up, and I heard her wet, slightly limping footsteps fade slowly as she left the bath.

Sitting back, I thought about what Lily had told me earlier.

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"So…" She moved the to edge of her seat, crossing her legs. Her ankle was wrapped up. "Let me show you about myself. The lost princess who was only recently found."

"Show…?"

"Close your eyes, Lloyd." I heard the floor creak as she stood up. It was funny how much I trusted her. She could probably kill me if she wanted to. But whether or not she considered that, I quickly felt both of her small, smooth hands on the sides of my head. "This is a very rare ability," she murmured. "So just empty your mind."

 _After a few seconds, she said, "Open your eyes Lloyd."_

 _I was standing inside a room; a bigger room than any I had seen before. I realized it was a library; the biggest library I had ever seen._

 _"Sorry to say you won't be able to read these books." I turned to my left to see Lily standing by me, a slight grin on her face. "These are some of my memories I'm choosing to show to you. Follow me, please."_

 _She walked down the aisle, and I followed a bit behind her. "This is what you mentioned right? The royal imperial library of the Espeons?"_

 _"Yes. The largest library in the lands. Here…" We stopped at an aisle marked, "52". Lying on the ground, reading a book was a young Eevee. Her brown hair hung down, and she was kicking her legs in happiness. She wore a long pink dress that contrasted with her brown hair, though her eyes had the warm light brown color I recognized._

 _"Lily! You should sit up when you read."_

 _Startled and turning around, I saw behind us was an older Espeon. Yet she had the same, pretty face and slender build as Lily. "Don't worry, they can't see us," giggled Lily next to me. "That Eevee, as you might have guess, was me. Age 8. I was a cute girl I think."_

 _"Sorry mom!" The Eevee tucked her dress under as she sat up._

 _The older Espeon sighed. "We're going to have to teach you to be a proper lady sooner or later," she murmured to herself, though her eyes glimmered with love._

 _"Princess…" I murmured. "Wait… so this is the queen?!"_

 _"Hmm?" Lily seemed a little confused before she understood what I meant. "Ah, no. Well, at least not in most respects," she added. "My mother was the head librarian. You see, unlike your Umbreon culture, the Espeons are typically a female ruled society. We have a queen as opposed to an emperor or king." Gently, Lily sighed. "This time of my life was so carefree," she said a little sadly. She quickly shook her head. "Anyways… I recall you mentioning you wanted to visit the imperial library someday, so I figured I'd give you a taste."_

 _The scene around us shifted to a bright garden. Lily blinked. "I… hmm…"_

 _"What's wrong?" I asked._

 _She closed her eyes, and the scene shifted again. "Don't worry, just thought of something… unrelated memory."_

 _Everything seemed to blur around us until finally, we were inside a dimply lit room. The furnishings were illuminated, revealing that they were fairly high-end stuff. A book was open in front of us. "This was a month ago," she murmured. The memory version of Lily sat at the desk, reading intently._

 _"Princess?" A voice came through the door._

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Are you sleeping?"_

 _"No, just… reading something."_

 _We could hear some whispers on the other side of the door; Lily next to me stiffened. "This… well… go look at the book."_

 _We both leaned over the memory Lily's shoulders and read what it said. On the page was an image that matched her necklace. The top of the page had a bold heading;_ ** _SOUL DEW_** _._

 _"Soul Dew, yes," murmured the memory Lily. "I wonder… could this help explain…?"_

 _I was able to read the book briefly before it was closed._

 _Lily stiffened. "Right as I go to sleep…"_

 _Suddenly, the door burst open. The memory Lily and myself both turned to the door. "Wr-"_

 _The memory Lily's words got caught in her mouth. Three Espeons, faces partially covered, all advanced towards her, holding knives. "Orders from the real princess."_

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Suddenly, I was dragged out of the memory, sitting up with a jolt. "Lily?"

"I'm here," she murmured. "I let you see a little more than I wanted to."

"… Lily… is…"

"I'd… rather not talk about it. Yet." She pulled out a piece of paper, folded up. "This is that page."

I unfolded it, and nodded. "I won't force anything." I skimmed over what it said, muttering the important parts to myself. "Soul Dew… an enchanted jewel formed from two ancient dragon siblings…"

"Yes," said Lily. "Apparently… well, you'll read about it, but the two siblings were very close. They were unable to communicate with each other initially, so they used this to reach one another before their telepathic powers developed. Eventually, they had no need for them, so they fashioned them into necklaces to share their bond." Lily thought about it for a bit before continuing. "But finally, the older brother succumbed to old age, leaving the sister alone. As she wept, one of the ancient Espeons apparently took pity and decided to help empower it with the abilities of the eight eon species. By putting in little bits of their powerful royal blood, she was able to contact those who had passed away. As thanks, she left the Soul Dew here once she passed away."

"So what exactly is your plan in that case?" I asked, though I already had a suspicion.

"Collect from each of the royal bloodlines." She sighed. "Of course it's not really that easy. There are only three royal bloodlines that have continued from those ancient times. The Jolteons, Glaceons, Sylveons, and Flareons all still have their bloodline on the throne. The rest are scattered throughout, lost over time. Which is the biggest problem… I don't know if they exist even, for the other three. The sword hasn't really given us much information," she muttered, glancing at it.

"Let me get this straight… you're going to try and convince all royal bloodline to give you some blood… in addition to also finding descendants of the ancient leaders?"

"I know it sounds a little…"

"It's pretty wild," I admitted.

She sat there quietly. "So… you're not going to help me?"

I exhaled. Tia wasn't in any immediate danger at least. But something like this could take a lifetime… and even then, it might not be fulfilled. I was about to respond, but looking at her eyes, I could see the faint fear and sadness she had. "You got guts." Rubbing my hair, I responded, "Let me think about it."

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I pulled myself out of the bath and dried off. I looked in the mirror. "I'm sorry Tia… I'll be there as soon as I can."

Putting on my clothes, I walked back to the room. "Enjoyed your bath Lloyd?" Lily had put on a nightgown and was stretching.

"Mmhmm." I rubbed my hair one last time. "So… about your search…" I took a breath. "I'll accompany you. I won't drag you back to the city. So please…"

She had grabbed my hand. "Thank you so much, Lloyd…"

I looked at her awkwardly. "It's…"

"Lloyd… I'm in your debt." She bowed her head down. "I'll do this to help Tia. Once they see the truth, they're bound to release your sister."

"The truth huh…" I thought about it. "You never really explained what you intend to do with the Soul Dew."

"I'll conjure the spirits of Julie… and perhaps prince Terren as well. The circumstances of them vanishing were unusual, don't you think?"

"Yeah," I admitted. "It did seem like the two nations were on the verge of a breakthrough. Of course knowing the Umbreons though, I wouldn't be too surprised if one of them did something stupid."

"With my people, you don't know either." She sighed. "Well… at any rate, I'm sure the soul dew will have a lot of value for all regions." Shaking her head, Lily sat onto the bed, and stretched her ankle.

I watched her in amusement. "How's your ankle?"

"Little better. I'm slowly healing it over time. It'll be awhile before I'd easily be able to walk far."

"Well, keep stretching it…" I flipped off the lights sat down in the chair. "Night."

"What are you doing?" she said, voice in the dark. "Jeez, if anything, I should be on the chair given my bummed ankle. Aren't you the one paying for this room too?" I heard her get up off the bed.

"No, it's fine. Just go sleep."

She was quiet, before finally giving in. "So be it…"

I smirked. "Sleep now, princess. We can't get working until that ankle is fixed up."

"… Fine, good night Lloyd."

"Night Lily."

I soon heard her gentle breathing slow as she slept. After listening for a few minutes, sleep consumed myself as well.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"So, what's our plan?" asked Lily as we both ate some toast.

"Well," I said, wiping my mouth. "Did you find any leads?"

"Yeah, that's why I was in the clock tower." She looked out the window at the massive building. "Supposedly, there's an old man who runs it that might be able to help. But I was attacked by that assassin last time while waiting. I kinda want to check if the man is up there, but I don't know…"

"I mean, I landed a pretty big hit on him. It's not something that can heal easily, and attacking us would be very risky for an Espeon."

She nodded. "Yeah, you're right I guess." She began working out her ankle.

"You think it's good enough?" I asked.

"Probably. I just wanna be careful though, since I'm not sure I could necessarily run if something happens."

I looked at the ankle. It did seem less swollen for sure. "I'm not going to force you to come or stay, but I'm trusting your judgement. If you stay here, someone might come after you as well and nobody can protect you in that case."

"I'll come with you," she said briskly. "I don't want you to worry over me."

With a smile, I held out a hand and helped her stand up. "We'll take it slow." Handing her her cloak, she slipped into it.

"Thanks Lloyd."

We walked out the door. The air was fairly cool, but still had a nice moistness to it that felt good. It was a little cloudy, but the sun had barely risen yet. I stretched. "Well, the weather is comfortable."

"It sure is, though I'd like a bit more sun."

"Mmhmm," I agreed. "Cloudy weather isn't the nicest."

As we walked, I asked, "So, the sword hasn't responded to anything?"

"Well, you're the one holding it now. But… no, I haven't gotten any sort of signal from it."

I rolled out my wrist. "I hope it's not broken…"

"No, it works, I'm sure of it. As long as someone living who is related exists…" Sighing, she hung her head. "I just don't know who to look for. Is there any physical thing royalty has? I recall them mentioning good IV genes or something, but you don't just go around asking that. I don't think most Pokemon even know their own."

I thought about it. Come to think of it, I didn't even know mine. "I guess you're right," I agreed. "Do you know what a child of him should have?"

"Vaguely… IVs are historically passed down from one to another. Most forms of royalty are given an item known as a destiny knot, which passes on these genes."

"I think I read about those."

"Yes, probably. While they say that he vanished, many royal families are primarily known for having very strong readings of these. So a descendant, provided they wore a destiny knot, should have the same gene IVs." Thinking, she added, "I wonder how one would wear a destiny knot though…"

"Well… aren't you royalty?"

"Shh…" She looked around, though it was still too early for most Pokemon. "Sheesh Lloyd, don't just go around saying that… they're less tense here, but…"

"Sorry," I said, looking around as well.

"It's… fine." She looked away. "Well… I'm not well versed on them… I've never seen one either to be honest."

She seemed uncomfortable, and I figured it probably had something to do with her past. We quietly made our way to the base of the clock tower. We exchanged glances. "Well… back up to the top," I said, opening the door.

"I can already feel my legs aching… if-"

"Hmm? Two Pokemon this early in the morning? Going to my workplace? And… oh? An Espeon girl…"

We both turned around. An older Umbreon stood behind us. "You must be the old man who runs the tower," I commented.

He snorted. "Watch it, I'm only 45," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry," murmured Lily. "We just expected some wiseman…"

Laughing, he sat on a wall next to us. "Well… I suppose that's a compliment somewhat. Now… I guess you could say I do know more than almost anyone else here." Gruffly, he added, "Pretty, you can take down that hood in front of me. Lemme get a good look at you."

She looked at me cautiously, and I nodded. "He seems like someone we can trust…"

Lily pulled off her cloak, revealing her cropped dress underneath. "Oh my…" he murmured. "You really are a beautiful lady…"

"I'm an Espeon," she murmured, though her face was bright red. "Why would you compliment me?"

He laughed. "I know beauty from all species, I've seen 'em all. Don't you agree boy?"

"Eh? Don't ask me," I said uncomfortably.

"Such smooth skin… slim belly… pretty eyes… maybe smaller than girls here in the chest, but-"

"S-stop!" she said, jumping on him to cover his mouth.

He laughed, pushing her away. "All right, I'm done," said the Umbreon. "I may be older, but I know beauty." He added more seriously, "I'm the 'wiseman' here so to speak… so what is it you need?"

Still looking cautious, Lily said, "Do you happen to know anyone here that is blood related to the throne?"

"Mmm…" The Umbreon looked at Lily for awhile. "Yes, I do know… well, did know. Boy, come here."

"Me?"

"Does she look like a boy to you? Yes you," he said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Lloyd…"

"Lloyd… you must have some pretty looking parents."

"No… I never knew them. They both vanished during the war. I was raised by a farming family though."

"Mmhmm, A farmer… but you train?"

"How'd you know?"

"Those are farmers hands. You're skinnier in general, but you've got the lean, tough build of a farmer." He nodded. "You see, there used to be Pokemon here with exceptionally high IVs. I don't know if you know about genetics or anything…"

"Yeah, we talked about it."

"Ah, well then, it seems you both know. You see, there was a man with exceptionally high defense and special attack here. Also very nimble. All his IVs were very high, but those three areas were the highest we've ever seen."

"Did you ever talk to him? Where is he?"

"Well, no. You see, most Pokemon here don't know IVs… I don't know how you guys do it in the East lands, but it's not knowledge here. But I do know how to differentiate different levels of IVs so to speak."

"If they were that high, why didn't you ask him if he was royalty?"

"Well, I don't know," he said. "He was normal. He didn't do anything out of the ordinary."

"He… didn't…?"

The Umbreon chose his words carefully. "Yes. He was a normal, albeit quiet, Umbreon. Kept to himself, but was a very talented known swordsman."

I nodded. "Well, that makes sense then. If he was royalty, he'd probably have a good amount of talent for that sort of thing."

"Can you take us to him?" asked Lily.

He stared at her for awhile, then huffed. "I would, really. If I knew where he was."

We exchanged glances. "You don't know?"

"Well… interestingly, he was talented enough to be called to the capitol to work for them."

"What do you mean? I thought the heads there have royal blood as well," I asked.

"No," said Lily. "I've found some information, and they're not true ancient royals."

"Yes, you're correct miss. I believe the title of 'royal family' was inherited by the council after Prince Terren's vanishing."

"… So you're telling me that somewhere in the capitol city, that royal Umbreon is working for the council."

"Supposedly." We both sighed. There'd be no way for us both to be get in there, especially considering everyone would be looking for her. And Moonview City was still quite big, so finding someone in particular would be quite difficult. I hadn't heard of anyone in that time.

"I mean, we're probably going to… umm…" Lily looked at me. "What do you think we should do then?"

"I'll add on that this was a long time ago, think about 20 or so. How old are you anyways?"

"Almost 20," I said. "Think a couple months."

"Mmm, I see. How 'bout you… actually, I don't even know your name."

"Lily," she said. "I turned 19 this past summer."

"Lily and Lloyd… Lloyd…" He crossed his arms, pondering my name, before shaking his head "Could… Oh?" Frowning, he said, "Let me see that weapon, Lloyd."

Lily nodded, and I held it out. "You see, this sword…"

He unsheathed it. "My my… where could two young Eons find something like this?"

"Little bit of luck, little bit of help," I said.

"A sword like this… this may sound a bit strange, but I don't believe a sword like this turns up just by luck." He held it up. "I believe that it's awaiting a return to the bloodline of the prince."

"… You really think a weapon has a soul?"

"Perhaps… but I'm just a crazy old man, right?" He smirked. "I've got some work to take care of," he said, pulling himself to his feet.

"Wait… can't you tell us anything more?"

"Nope, got nothing." Turning around, the Umbreon headed inside the clock tower. He stopped before looking over his shoulder. "Listen you two… I'm not sure exactly what your goal is… or whether you two even have the same goal. But that necklace of yours, pardon me for staring at your chest Lily, has more power than you can imagine."

"You know what this is?"

"Of course… and I suspect what you two plan to do with it. So please… be careful with what you wish for."

And with that, he closed the door behind him.

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"Lily, are you okay?"

"… I'm fine Lloyd…" Her voice had something in it I'd never heard before.

"Is your ankle fine?"

"Yes," she said quickly, though she didn't change it at all.

I sighed, and stopped in the middle of the road. "Okay, what's wrong? You're obviously quiet and bothered. Are you irritated that he harassed you?"

"No, not that…" she murmured. "Just… made me realize how far away from our goal we are. We can't find even one Pokemon of royal blood, let alone 7 aside from myself." She hung her head. "I feel very guilty… for convincing you that this would work."

"Did you lie about anything?"

"Well… no, but-"

"Then there's nothing to feel bad about. I joined you on my own accord." I rested a hand on her shoulder. "Lily…" I looked around, knowing that she needed a pick-up. "Let's go to the cafe."

Her tail twitched, and she stared up a bit. "Cafe? Like where they serve pastries and drinks?"

"Yes, you've… never been to one?"

We both looked at the shop, and she replied, "No… not yet."

"Come on, we'll get something good to eat, then we can discuss our next move."

She blinked, then smiled. "Thanks Lloyd… I know you're trying to cheer me up. I appreciate it."

"No use getting miserable," I said. "Listen… I want to help both you and Tia."

She nodded. "I know. I'm sorry for getting down, it's pointless."

I had walked a little bit ahead, and opened the door for her. "Don't forget your hood," I said, and she quickly pulled it up.

"Sorry."

We walked inside. "Greetings. What can we get started for you two?"

I looked at the boards with numerous drinks and prices listed. "Hmm… hot Razz tea for me."

"Lloyd, what's coffee?"

I blinked. "You… ah, well, coffee is a somewhat bitter drink. But many like to put milk and sugar into it, or even sweet berries."

"Sweet… could I have one with some Pecha?"

"Of course. Any pastries?"

"Two sweetbreads with cream please."

After I paid for the meal, we sat down outside at a small table. "This… I've heard of a cafe before… but back home… I never got a chance to go to one."

"Really?" I chewed on the bread. "Well… I suppose our parents would take us for breakfast weekly."

"That must be nice." She blinked. "I've always wanted to come to one…" She bit into the bread, and opened her eyes wide. "This is good!"

"Why else do you think I'd get it for you? It's sweeter, but I thought you'd like it."

"Yes, it's tasty. I must say, you do know food well. You cook well and you know what I like. That's impressive."

"I do recall every eon species having their own taste preferences, I think you Espeons and Sylveons like sweet things."

"That book… I feel like it knows what I'm thinking." She sighed. "I'd love to read it sometime, Lloyd."

"Oh sure. Maybe whenever we're resting, you can just pick it up and read."

"Really?" She crossed her arms. "A book that reportedly contains lost information and you'd part with it that easily?"

"Well, I'm not giving it to you. But maybe you can put the information to good use."

"… Thank you…"

I sipped my berry tea. "I think there's some information in there you can make better of than me."

"Perhaps…" I felt her look at me for awhile. "So you're the same age as me, huh?"

"I suppose so," I said. "Most of us get married by 20, and I'll be that age soon." I sighed. "Of course it's not like I've put much thought into it."

"That sounds rough," she said sympathetically. "The council did mention that I should get married, but I didn't look into it seriously."

"Well, you are a princess. It's natural to want to pass it on as soon as possible."

She crossed her arms. "It's not about passing it on or anything like that, I'll get married when I want to who I want."

"Ah, well, yeah," I said awkwardly. "Sorry…"

She frowned a bit before giggling. "No, it's fine. I just wanted to see how you'd react. But… I was somewhat serious. For that kind of stuff, I want to make my own decisions."

"Make your own decisions… like coming here?"

She blinked, then looked away. "That's… not really my choice."

"It's not?"

"No. I wish it were… but… I need to awaken the soul dew. It's either that, or just give up on life for me."

I couldn't believe what she was saying. "Lily… is it… really that important?"

"To me…" She looked at me again. "It is."

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"Lily… just what happened…" I was leaning back on the chair as Lily slept on the bed. I stared at her. Her determination and demeanor was a reminder that I still knew very little about her. She was turned away from me, though her hair moved a bit as a gentle breeze blew through the room.

"Hmm?" She rolled over caught me off guard.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Sorry Lily."

"Come on Lloyd, if you're gonna talk about me to yourself, I might as well hear it." Her light brown eyes looked back at me curiously.

"I… I recall when I first saw you at Moonview City. You were being interrogated publicly. They told you to return to where you came from… but you said you couldn't." I paused a bit. "Why can't you? Are you banished?"

She nodded. "Well… close enough to that." She bit on her lower lip a bit before saying, "I wasn't always someone special… that's why I try and enjoy just being here." Smiling, Lily added, "I've enjoyed being around you Lloyd."

"Thanks?"

Lily rolled onto her back. "I mean… you've sure saved my butt a lot," she said. "So you probably think I'm kind of useless for fighting."

"Not at all."

"Well… I suppose against dark types isn't the best matchup. But I'll show you what I can do."

"I look forward to that."

She smiled. "I owe you so much Lloyd, really. I'll make it back to you somehow, and that's a promise."

"A promise? I'll hold you to that."

"You never know what's going to happen. Maybe some scary fairy types."

"Scary… Sylveons?" I had never met one before, but they certainly were cutesy and affectionate from what I read. At the same time, they had a strong type advantage over us, so I wasn't too sure how I'd react to one. "Aren't they the ones who are lovey-dovey all the time?"

"Well… to an extent," she said. "I've met a few… they're rather… um… how would I put it… unusual."

There was a burning question I'd been wanting to ask, but I'd never really thought about it with her right there. "Lily… my parents… they vanished in the Northern region. Did… you ever meet a Glaceon?"

Lily blinked. "I remember… your dream was to learn what happened to them right?"

I looked away, feeling a little embarrassed. "Yeah."

"Well…" She crossed her arms. "I've met them before, yes. But only travelers."

"How are they?"

"Really… well, I don't know much about them. I only exchanged a few words of course. It's hard to form an opinion." Twitching the ears atop her head, she said, "We'll have to visit them for the royal blood."

"We do have to find the descendants of Terren, do we not?"

"I know, I know. But returning into the city… for someone who may very well have moved yet again… or worse, died without passing it on…"

We both sat there quietly. Could it happen? Could we be stopped here? "I'm… I'm certain there's a way."

"Perhaps… we should visit the Jolteons…" The Jolteons were rather uptight in general, and known to be fairly hostile towards even neighboring regions. I wasn't sure at all about how they'd treat an Espeon. Lily voiced my concerns after that though. "Yeah… they're pretty unwelcoming. But at least they won't be expecting us…"

"As long as your Espeon buddy doesn't tell them first."

"I'm not sure how he got your leaders to listen to him, but… I don't think the Jolteons would listen at all. In fact, I'm not convinced he'd follow us."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Well, all things considered, attacking us in a hostile environment wouldn't make much sense." She stopped to think. "I don't think he knows our goal. We can use that to keep him from ambushing us."

I thought about what he said. _"Of course…"_ Perhaps he knew something. "I think we should still be prepared," was what I ended up saying.

"Yes, we never know." She blinked. "Lloyd, you said your mother was a Leafeon?"

I nodded. "I… don't really remember her. But I've heard she was a very nice Pokemon. Even got along well with the Umbreons here."

"Your mother… I suppose it's a little hard for me to believe that different eons would have children together without much problem."

"It was very common before," I pointed out. "Before the great war, almost all relationships were varied, like Sylveon-Jolteon or Vaporeon-Flareon. But you probably know that, right?"

"Yeah. Must've been nice to be able to choose… whomever you liked…" She smiled a bit.

"Princess, you sound like you've got someone you like," I commented.

"Well… I used to…" she said, looking away, face bright red. She played with her pink hair a little.

"Oh? What kind of guy was he?"

She glared at me. "I'll tell you when I'm comfortable."

"You know, it's kind of funny."

"What is?" she asked.

"Well, you've told me about your plan for this whole thing and just how important you are, but some things we're just never comfortable talking about."

She sighed a bit. "Well… yeah." Lily continued to play with her hair before saying, "I haven't made many friends of late, so it probably sounds kind of stupid… but opening up isn't too easy." Hesitantly, she added, "You seem like a pretty reserved guy for the most part, so I'd think you'd understand." We sat there for awhile before she patted the bed next to her. "So I've been thinking… that sword hasn't really been attracted to anything really. But… I'm just wondering…"

"Wondering- hey, what are you doing?" I quickly jumped off the bed. She had pulled a knife out of seemingly nowhere.

"Jeez Lloyd… I just need a little prick…"

I was hesitant. "Why do you want to test on me though?"

"Well, I've been thinking about it. It matches up with what the man was saying. You're clearly talented."

"Don't just pull out a knife like that though!" I flicked her arm.

"Ow…"

I stood up and picked up the blade, unsheathing it to see it glowing eerily in the moonlight. "Okay, since you insist…" Holding out my hand in front of the Espeon, I watched as she looked at it.

She held my hand. "Okay, we'll do the pinky." Lily made a little slit, and I watched as the droplet fell onto the hilt of the sword, darkening the dark red crystals. Nothing seemed to happen for about 10 seconds. I was almost about to say something when it began to smoke a bit. "Hmm?"

I watched as the glowed slightly, sending what looked to be my own blood racing to the tip of the sword. "It's… reacting somehow…"

"Yeah…" Finally, the glowing seemed to die down, but a small beam of what looked like my blood glowed within its core.

"So…" I began. "What does this mean?"

"Well, it's glowing as if it reacted… but I don't know, I thought it'd like flash or something," she said thoughtfully. "Still, it wasn't like a negative reaction." She looked at me closely. "Could you actually be the one I'm looking for? They say that sword has a way of finding its way back to the rightful owner. Maybe you finding it wasn't just chance."

I put my pinky in my mouth, sucking off the blood before pulling it out and shaking it. "It seems too easy though, doesn't it?"

"Well… it might be luck… but…" She smiled a little. "You know, I've suspected it for awhile. The sword wasn't reacting when you were near it, but once I got here, it did seem to react a bit towards you, back towards the city. Once you came near me… it stopped. That's why I went to ask the Umbreon at the tower. I thought he'd know why."

"But you never asked…"

"Once he mentioned an Umbreon moving back to the city, I began to piece it together. That Umbreon should have been a fair amount older than you to be your father, which he was. You father must be in his forties or so, which matches up with the story." She crossed her legs. "But… for awhile, I've known you've been skilled. Dark Pulse… you said you got it as a TM?"

"Yes…"

"Well, considering that you were an Eevee not too long ago, your mastery over the move was far more than it should've been."

"…" I knew her explanation made sense, but I still wasn't certain. "Do you… really think so?"

"Yes I do," she said. "Considering IVs for the royal family are high as well, and yours appear to be similar, I think that's more reason to believe. Your parents must have had a destiny knot passed down."

I looked at my hands. "Me…a royal descendant…"

"I believe that you chose to help me because you're the one I'm looking for. I don't think just anyone would have sheltered me." She held my hand. "Perhaps that this really can work."

"Hey… shouldn't we at least check to see if it works on the soul dew?"

She pulled it out from her top and unclasped it. "Okay. Its already accepted my blood… it should brighten ever so slightly each time it gets another descendant's."

I pressed my pinky to it, a small drop of blood forming. It spread along the black crystal, glowing slightly before it finished. It had lightened a bit.

"Convinced?"

"I… I guess…" I looked at my legs. "A royal… hmm…"

"So Prince Lloyd…" She tightened her grip on my hand, and I suddenly felt self-conscious.

"Lily…"

"Lloyd…" She looked at my hand, then reached towards the nightstand where she pulled out some bandages and wrapped it up. "You take care of that wound now," she said.

"Yes. So, how's your ankle?"

"It's pretty much almost healed. Provided I don't have to run, I think I'll be fine." She rested her cheek on her hand. "Tomorrow, we should go explore the rest of the town. Perhaps we can get some information on the Jolteons. Maybe we can figure out how to contact their leader."

"Hang on…" I got off the bed and went to the desk. I flipped open the book, using the moonlight to illuminate the pages. "Each of the Eons has their own sacred weapon… this sword wasn't just Terren's, but was passed through many generations." I read from the book directly. " _Every species is known for specializing in a certain type of combat, ranging from bows to spears, swords to whips. While all of them are uniquely crafted and exceptionally built, they also were infused with powers from the ancient bloodlines, that can be used to direct the powers of these descendants in phenomenal ways._ " I flipped through the pages some more until I came to the one I was looking for. " _The Jolteons are big into development and technology. Where Espeons seek knowledge, the Jolteons use technology to develop tools."_

"That's accurate," admitted Lily.

I continued reading. _"As such, their royal arm is a gun. A long time ago however, they reached an agreement not to use guns with true bullets. The devastation of metal bullets was far greater than that of even arrows, and their ruler agreed to stop the production. However, they still use these to direct their lightning based attacks, giving them precision they would otherwise be lacking. The royal weapon is a rifle, designed to fire extremely accurate beams of lightning from great distances. The weapon itself has a topaz core, similar to the ruby cores within the Umbreons' royal weapons, as well as the Glaceons' sapphire bases."_ Curiously, I asked, "Aren't you a staff user?"

"Yes, I… oh, you've never seen it."

"Huh? You have it with you?"

She closed her eyes, then reached into a pocket. She pulled out what looked like a small pendant, and it glowed. "This staff… is one that Espeon queens from many generations ago used." It slowly began to expand to a large, gold-colored rod, containing a ruby at the tip. It had bits of silver along the way and had intricate patterns along it.

"A golden staff…" I blinked. "That's… of course, it chose you."

She looked at the ruby at the tip, then seemed to flinch as if recalling an unpleasant memory. "Yes, it did…" She put the end onto the ground, resting it there for support. "It's rather bulky to carry it around, so many Espeons store it in a compressed form like me. When I was attacked earlier, I hadn't been able to summon it do me since it takes a little bit of time as you can see. I'll show you what it can do in combat next time." Clapping her hands together, it shrunk back down into its compressed form. She yawned. "Well that was pretty eventful…"

I nodded. "Yes… let's sleep…"

The Espeon held my arm. "Come on, you're sleeping in the bed tonight. It can't be comfortable on that chair."

"Huh?"

She pulled off the sheets. "What, so uncomfortable around me you can't even sleep?" she teased.

I sighed. "You should be more careful, you know. But if you say…" I crawled onto the bed.

"I know you're not a guy to try anything now," smiled Lily. "I enjoy being around you," she said, pulling up the sheets. We looked at each other awhile before she rolled over. "Well, goodnight Lloyd."

"Night Lily."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Lloyd? Lloyd…" My vision was blurry, but I could make out blue skies. Finally, I honed in on the voice. It wasn't one I could place, yet it felt oddly familiar.

"Ugh…" I quickly realized it was a dream. "This…" I recalled the lake I had walked by a few days ago. It looked almost the same, except there were very few clouds and of course it was middle of the day. Even the distant mountains were identical. The grass was soft.

"I know we're Umbreons… but I kind of like the sun. Don't you agree, Lloyd?" The voice was a quiet female one, but it reminded me of Lily. As I turned around, I saw the back of a girl. Her partially exploded back was a pale color similar to other Umbreon females. That said, her way of dressing from the back alone seemed different, with her hair hanging down as opposed to the two tails that most wore, and she seemed to be slightly more covered.

"Who… are you?" I murmured.

She was quiet, then turned her head to glance at me. I couldn't make out much of her face. "I… I've found you," she finally said, voice seeming to crack with emotion. "Its been so long since I've been able to speak with someone… but you finally chose to reach to me…"

"You're…"

"I'm Sophie," she said. "I am… the spirit within your weapon."

"Spirit within…" I remembered what the man we had talked to before had said.

"Yes," her delicate voice responded. "I was an Umbreon from many many generations ago. So old most don't even remember my story." Her hair blew in the breeze. "But… I can't forget." She shook her head. "No… not after what happened." She turned around now, tears dripping down her face. "Lloyd… please be very careful…"

"What do you mean?"

"My last master… was just like you. Kind… but he was betrayed. I warned him, but he followed his heart."

"Prince Terren?"

She didn't acknowledge my comment, but continued to talk. "What you seek is something my last master desired as well." Glancing back at me, she added, "Yes, Terren in fact searched for the Soul Dew itself. But he never found it. Now that the Espeon princess has found it… I fear for everyone."

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen the dew's power. You… must be careful." She suddenly fell to her knees. "I haven't done this in awhile…" She turned back at me. "I'll have to vanish from your dream for now."

She held up a hand, and slowly my vision went black.

When I came to, I was in the same place my previous dreams had been; the foggy dock. But this time, Lily was next to me. "Come on Lloyd," she murmured.

I looked down. "Ah…" I felt no pain, but… my stomach was darkened with blood.

"Lloyd…" murmured the Espeon. "We must run… please hang on."

"I'm bleeding," I said, though I didn't feel weak.

"Please… hold on…"

"It doesn't hurt," I murmured, though my vision was getting blurry.

"Lloyd, no… I'm sorry, I'll heal you. We just need some time…"

And then it faded out. I blinked and I was back in the bed. "Lily…" I murmured, looking her way. Her ears twitched a bit as if she heard me, but she didn't seem to wake. I did want to mention my dream of the supposed sword spirit, but she looked so peaceful too. Sighing, I just watched her a bit. It would be easy for me to return back home with her. I could probably restrain her quite easily when she was sleeping. Guiltily, I remembered how she probably could have escaped or attacked me many times before as well. Her pink hair looked so silky, and she even gave off a slight flowery fragrance from the baths. And her skin looked so smooth still. I suddenly felt bad looking at her again. If I were her, I wouldn't want anybody watching me sleep.

Suddenly, I felt her pronged tail squeeze around my own, holding it in the nook where it branched. I glanced to her, but she was still fast asleep. With a sigh and a slight grin, I turned to my side to fall back to sleep, hopefully with less dreams.

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"Lily," I asked as we sat down at the Cafe we had visited the previous day.

She was drinking some sort of berry tea. "Mhmm?" she said.

"You know your weapon… does it… by any chance have a spirit associated with it?"

The Espeon looked at me a bit before saying, "Yes, I believe all of the special royal weapons do. Oh, you must have met a spirit in your dream, am I right?"

I nodded. "Yes… an Umbreon met me in my dreams."

"Well, in that case, then the weapon obviously has taken a liking to you." Lily curiously added, "What kind of person was it?"

"I… she was a young Umbreon. I think her name was Sophie."

Lily crossed her arms. "A young girl huh…"

"Well, like maybe our age."

The Espeon frowned a bit. "Well then…"

"Does your staff have a spirit?"

"Yes… but I can't really say much about her," she added. "But Sophie… a young Umbreon. It sounds familiar, but… I can't place it. Probably some princess."

"You're probably right." I bit into a roll I had bought. "I guess they're all Pokemon from a distant past."

"Yes, this land has always been inhabited by only our species. Rumor has it there's other distant lands with other Pokemon, but I can't really imagine what they'd look like. But anyways, we're looking for a Jolteon with royal blood right?"

"A Jolteon should be easy, their ruler is a descendant I believe. But…" She huffed. "Well, he's not exactly the friendliest guy from what I hear." Lily leaned back into her seat. "And it's not like we can just go in there and talk to him either. Contacting someone of his stature would be very difficult."

An Umbreon walked past me, then looked at me curiously. "Lloyd?"

I looked at her face a bit before I recognized Aisha, the Umbreon who had helped me out earlier. "Aisha, it's good to see you."

She smiled warmly at me. "Likewise. Ah, it looks like you did find your Espeon friend?"

Lily looked at me in question, and I said, "Right, Lily, this is Aisha. I was asked by a doctor to deliver something for her."

"Pleasure to meet an Espeon," murmured Aisha, though she seemed to be eyeing Lily. "Your skin looks so smooth, I'm quite envious," sighed the Umbreon.

Lily rubbed her arms awkwardly. "Eheh…"

"Anyways, I heard you mention that you want to meet with the Jolteon king?"

"Yeah, we don't know how…"

Aisha rested her hands on her hips. "The Jolteons are a fairly secretive society. They've got a lot of technology, and like that sense of power. I'm not sure they welcome in any non-Jolteons at all."

I sighed. "So there's not gonna be an easy way in, huh?"

"Well, I didn't say that. You know that medicine you gave me? I've heard that Kaira, the sister of their ruler has been sick as of late."

"Eh? What could…"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the flask. "I do actually have an extra."

Aisha nodded. "Yes, Lord Ardin has been looking for something to cure her. They've got lots of technology, so as a result, they rely on other regions for food and such. The illness my daughter caught wasn't particularly common, but the symptoms are quite similar to lady Kaira's from what I hear."

I tucked away the medicine. "I've heard Ardin is quite an aggressive Pokemon."

Lily thought about it. "Well, you probably know more about him. But from my basic knowledge, while he is often described as irritable and tense, he also has made some wonderful advancements technology wise. I've heard that Ardin himself is quite the genius as well, and the Northwest region is doing very well under his rule."

"Yes, they are the most advanced, somewhat ahead of the Espeons, no offense Lily, as well as the Vaporeons, who also have developed ways to get power."

"We're the most knowledgable, but I'll admit… from what I've read, the Jolteons are technologically ahead of us."

"Aisha, you coming?" An Umbreon called out to her from a distance.

"Oh yes, I must be going for now. If I don't happen to see you again Lloyd, farewell!"

"Bye," I waved as she ran off.

Lily crossed her arms. "Going after a married woman?"

I glared at her. "Come on now, she's at least 6 or 7 years older than me, with a kid."

"I was just joking," giggled the Espeon. "Well now, at least we know we might have a way in."

"Yes," I said. "We make our way to the edge of the Jolteons' city and ask guards if they know a way we can get in contact."

"Okay, that's a plan then. We could leave today actually," said Lily.

"Well, your ankle still isn't fully healed right? Maybe a long trek should be put off another day. Besides, we can try look around the town some more."

"Hmm, you've never been here before either. Okay," smiled the Espeon. "Just make sure I'm not holding you back."

We finished up our meal. "Let's look around the edge of the town, there's those streams that pass through. They come from the hills."

"Oh, looking at streams? That sounds rather relaxing."

"Our house has some streams that go through our farm," I explained. "Looking at the fish swim is soothing."

"That sounds like something a Vaporeon would say instead." The Espeon giggled, then held out her hand.

"Huh?"

"Lead the way, Lloyd."

I looked at her hand, before I finally realized she was asking me to walk her. "Oh, uh, okay."

Lily's tail twitched in amusement. "What, never held a girl's hand before?"

"No," I said. "Just… well, I guess Tia's."

"If she's your sister, she doesn't count. Come on now, you normally seem pretty composed."

I looked at her hand. _They look so small and smooth…_ I reached and held her. They felt as delicate as they looked. "Like this?"

The Espeon looked at me funny. "Yeah, I think so."

"You know, you don't seem particularly comfortable either. I don't know why you want to try acting all queenly," I said.

"Yeah, you're right," she said, and I let go of her. "Sorry for having you do that. You just always seem pretty unsurprised, and I got a reaction out of you."

"Am I really that bland?" I asked, a little offended.

"No, I guess it's not really that," she said. "Maybe… how would I put it… you keep a lot of thoughts in your head."

"Huh?"

"Well… another talent of the royal Espeon lineage is that we can read minds somewhat with physical contact. But its effect is greatly weakened against Umbreons like yourself, and somewhat against other Espeons. It's not completely unlike the memory-sharing ability I showed you. But anyways, as I was saying, it's not effective against Umbreons. But I could still sense a lot of thoughts, like someone pounding on a door. You know someone is there, but you don't know who or what." She walked ahead of me a bit. "You're a complicated guy, Lloyd, more complicated than you probably realize."

I blinked. "Lily…"

"Come on then, you were going to lead me, right?" She spun around and smiled at me. "Let's go."

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We sat at a bridge, our feet hanging over the side as we watched the fish swim under us. "The water does look quite clean," commented Lily. "We hired some Vaporeons back in Suneye city. They purify our water for us."

"Is that so…" I was somewhat preoccupied watching the fish. "They must get homesick."

"I don't know them directly," she confessed. "But I've seen them and they're really laid back and friendly. Sylveons are more outgoing. It's not uncommon for our males to marry Sylveon women."

"Aside from some Flareons and the occasional Leafeon, I'm pretty much the same. I don't really know a lot of other species."

"Your mother… oh, you never got to… sorry, that was thoughtless of me."

I dangled my legs. "It's all right." A leaf trickling along the stream caught my attention. "When we need to visit the Glaceon princess, I'll confront her then."

"She probably doesn't know," said Lily, and I knew she was right. Their princess was close to my age if I remembered correctly.

"Perhaps someone does know though. Either way…" I leaned back, resting my weight on my arms and looking up. "I've already come to terms with whatever happened to them. It's a little harder to really 'miss' them I guess if I never knew them." I turned to her and smiled. "I guess that's something I hope to use the soul dew for perhaps as well. Speak with them once."

Lily smiled back. "Yes, I guess that gives us more reason to find it now."

"Well if it isn't the prince and princess."

We both looked behind us. The Umbreon from the clock tower stood behind us. "Eh? When did you get here?"

Lily frowned. "He was there for a little while," she giggled.

"Huh…"

"So," began Lily. "You figured out Lloyd's the blood descendant?"

He nodded. "Well, I knew for a little while. I decided to let you guys realize it on your own. But just in case, I decided to look for you, and thankfully you were here."

"How did you figure it out?"

"Well… first off, the sword has a way, excuse me for repeating what I said earlier, but it will find those who deserve to wield it. In this case, that's you Lloyd. And secondly, I am capable of seeing IV readings. Yours are in line with the royalty. You're quicker, more durable, and more skilled than most Umbreons. Yes, you train, but it's more than just that. You've got the blood of many powerful, powerful Umbreons flowing through you. As do you, Princess Lily."

We exchanged glances. "Well… hopefully that's enough to avoid us being captured."

"Well, I can't tell you that. But you're probably going to visit the Jolteons, right?"

"Yes. We need the royal-"

"Blood, I know. Princess, hold out your hand."

"Huh?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small gold disc. "Well… I guess I kinda lied to you, Lloyd."

"What?"

He didn't look at me, merely closed Lily's fingers around the disc. "Your father… I did know him. He was a great man. Now… I didn't lie about his personality. He was a quiet Umbreon who kept to himself. But I did get to know him quite well. We were friends."

It hit me like a wave. This Umbreon knew my father, from when they were young. "What… you were his friend?"

Now the Umbreon turned to me. "Hold out your hand Lloyd."

"What is it?" It was a ball of red yarn, tied together in an elegant knot shape. "What is it?" I repeated.

"You see… your father entrusted this, a Destiny Knot, to me."

That pretty much confirmed everything I had heard. Not every Pokemon would carry a destiny knot. For my father to have carried one… "A Destiny Knot…"

"Now… I didn't know everything about him. But I suspected that he had a lover, and not one of Umbreon lineage either. Your mother, from what you two were talking about earlier, was already pregnant with you by the time I got this."

"But why did he give it to you?"

"And what's this gold disc?" asked Lily.

"One question at a time, kids. First, Lloyd." He gained a distant look in his eyes. "You see… it was a pretty chaotic time. Lots of attacks, lots of wars. He knew that he would be forced to join the force with his reputation as a swordsman and his knack for special attacks. He wanted to keep this with someone he could trust, and that's me." He stared at me awhile. "He even told me your name. Said it was going to be a boy. Lloyd."

I stood there, feeling emotion within me. I hadn't felt this way in awhile. "A-and?"

"He told me that if something should happen to him, that I find you and give this to you when you came of age." He rested his hands on the railing, looking into the stream. "I was gonna visit Moonview City once you turned 25 or so, but it looks like fate accelerated that occurrence. But you are the sole wielder of the blood of our ancient people, and this red string of destiny… well, don't doubt what it can do."

My throat felt dry. "So… he… he did plan for this."

"I wouldn't call it that, no. I don't know how you were raised, but you're a good kid Lloyd. And your father… well, I can tell you, he was a good friend, and I have to believe he tried to be a good father." He hesitated a bit before rubbing his hair, and reaching into his apparently deep pockets and pulling out a crumpled out note. "This too. Gave it to me, to give to you once you turned 25, regardless of if he was there for you or not. Should he had been there, I assume he wouldn't have needed you to read this. But anyways, it's a letter to you. Told me not to let you read it though, until you really need to. I don't know what that means. But I wouldn't read it, at least yet."

"…" Taking both the knot and the letter, I put it inside my bag. "Thank you… I never got your name did I?"

He laughed. "My name doesn't matter. But I knew your father. And as for our little princess… well, I'm entrusting you with this since you can wear it around your neck like that Soul Dew you have. How should I put it… the old lord of the Jolteons owed both myself and Lloyd's father a favor. You show this to the guards even and they should take you straight to the current lord, Ardin."

"Ardin… that's right, his sister, she's sick right?"

"Yes."

We both nodded. "Thank you. We think we have something to help her out. Getting into the city would've been a problem, but now… thank you," said Lily.

"Can't you tell me more about my father?" I asked.

"I could… but… well, there's not that much more to say."

"I know there's a lot to ask, Lloyd. But we shouldn't talk about this in public."

"I've gotta be going anyways, gotta oil up the gears," he replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, rubbing my neck.

"Thank you for everything," bowed Lily.

"You're welcome, princess. Now, both of you, listen up. You two… well, seeing you work together really does give me hope that maybe, just maybe you can repair the relations between all our nations. So you two get along now, okay?"

We both nodded. "Of course," said Lily, looking a little awkward.

"Hehe, good enough for me." He stretched, then turned around. "Good luck fixing up that soul dew."

"Thank you," we both said in unison. With a final dip of his head, he walked away.

"My father…"

Suddenly, Lily hugged me. It wasn't a real intense hug, but she wrapped her arms around me comfortingly. "Lloyd… we'll do this together." She let go of me, looking a little embarrassed. "We've got a long way to go… but if you need anything… just someone to talk to for support, or anything else, please… let me know."

I looked down at her, feeling a little warm myself. "Y-yes. I know, Lily."

"Okay," she giggled, taking a few steps back. "Hey, at least you know your father was a good man and he cared about you."

"I know. Perhaps…" I pulled out the letter, looked at it a bit, then tucked it away again. "I'm not going to read this yet."

"Good idea," said Lily. "Now… since we've got this day to ourselves… let's go sightseeing." The Espeon walked a bit ahead before stopping to turn around to look at me. "Together, right?"

I blinked, before smiling again. "Yeah, together," I replied as I walked after her.

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"Hmph. It appears you can't pursue them after all."

"My princess, I can if it is what you wish."

A shockingly beautiful Espeon sat on her bed holding onto a pink stone. Her eyes glowed as she used her telepathy. "No, the Jolteons despise us. It's probably a death wish for my little 'sister' to go into there. Trying to revive the soul dew… what a joke," she laughed. "But now… you said that an Umbreon stopped you? I thought you had permission to capture her from them."

"They wanted to send their own Umbreon after her. I met him a few times, but ultimately… he ignored the orders I told them to give."

"Stupid Vars," she grumbled. "Damn Umbreon lord can't do anything right, even picking someone with a massive type advantage on a capture job." She thought abut it. "He stopped you though?"

"Yes… but he did have type advantage. I-"

"Our top assassin, bested by some Umbreon." Huffing, she said, "We obviously can't let them succeed. I'm going to have you withdraw for now. I should send you into the mountains for punishment if they make it out… but no. Come back home. We're going to have a chat with the fishes in the Northeast. A trap if they make it that far."

 **End Ch.3**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"How's your ankle holding up?"

"Fine." The two of us were walking along the path up to the Jolteon capitol, Teslor City. "No pain at all thankfully." She had wrapped it up for some support, and it looked to be working. "But I'm a little concerned about Espeon chasing us."

"We haven't seen him in awhile, but we should just be careful."

"Yes, of course. If he were to come after us, it'd be out here."

We both looked around; it was pretty wide open for awhile, with large rolling hills. The path stayed at the bottoms of them. I had to admit, it didn't really look like there was anywhere for some killer to hide. I stretched my arms. "I like where we live, it's a nice place for sure. But sometimes, it's just all the same, you know? Some open fields, and not much else."

Lily continued walking. "Yes, our region is quite similar. I've visited the ocean before though. Have you?"

"No," I replied. "I've read up on it however. Salty water seems… interesting."

"It certainly doesn't taste good," she chuckled. "But it's a really pretty place. We should likely see it as Suneye city is fairly close, and the Vaporeon capitol of Nortide is built along the ocean. But Moonview city and Eltron city, the Jolteons' largest and capitol… well, you both stay quite inland."

"Well, especially for us, we are primarily producers and miners. There is supposedly a large village along the coast where we get some of our fish from though." I thought about the fish I had at the outpost town. "Of course there's freshwater as well. I've heard it tastes different even."

"Mmhmm, it's more flavorful. Fish from the sea that is. You see to be a pretty good cook, so I'd love to see what you could do with it one day."

"Well, it was only stew really. Our parents often came home late so I was good a preparing the food." I had bought a pot and some fire starting tools since there really wasn't a town to rest between here and the Eltron. We had discussed the Espeon attacking us as we slept, but Lily had seemed confident.

"He'll attack us during the day. Attacking an Umbreon at night when you've already got a number disadvantage wouldn't make sense for an assassin. It's something that's taught to us in school as part of combat training," she had said.

"Combat training? You guys have that?"

"It wasn't a real in-depth course," admitted Lily. "Think of it like sex-ed or something."

"Huh. I never really expected training to be part of something you'd be taught. Though it's not like we really have schools."

"Eh?"

"Yeah, most of us don't go to school." I reached into my pack and handed her an apple. "You see, once we evolve into an Umbreon, we start working. And as an Eevee, we normally help out our parents with whatever they do. Studying is done on the side."

"Really…" She held the apple with two hands, looking at it. "What about your sister?"

"Eh, they saw that Tia had a good amount natural talent from the start when it came to intellect. They sent her to some classes, while I studied on my own."

"That must have been difficult."

I shrugged. "What can you do? I'm smarter than most Umbreons my age at least. I pulled out a second apple and bit into it.

"Yes… you're right. Not everything can be fair, can it?"

"Hmm?"

She nibbled on her apple. "Say Lloyd, it does feel a little unfair that… well, something like this had to happen to you?"

I pondered her question, then licked some juice leaking down my arm. "No, not at all," I said. "I chose to help you… and it's a decision I made. Meeting you quite honestly is the most interesting that's happened to me."

"Is that so?"

"Now, don't get me wrong," I added. "I must save Tia."

"I know. We'll do just that. But really… I wonder what kind of Pokemon Ardin is. Everyone says he's short tempered."

"Maybe, but if his sister really is sick, he should be more understanding. If he really is as smart as everyone makes him out to be."

The two of us kept walking until a little after the sun set, at which point we made a fire by a stream that separated the Umbreon province from that of the Jolteons. Resting by a tree atop the hill, I began to cook.

"I'm actually surprised you brought vegetables and meat. Spices too…"

"I've got some blankets as well," I added. "The carrots and cabbages looked too good to pass up. I'm still a farmer."

We sat opposite sides of the flame, as I stirred the pot. "Hmm… looks like you're making a soup this time?"

"Yeah, I make this from time to time as well." I tasted it with a spoon. "Hmm…"

She tossed me some salt. "This?"

"Thanks." I added some, then pointed to the pepper. "Can you pass the pepper?"

"Here."

I sipped it again, before passing the spoon to her. "You give it a try."

She stared at the spoon. "… Lloyd…"

"What's wrong?"

"I mean, you just put it in your mouth didn't you?"

"Huh?"

"So your spit… it's…"

"Oh, sorry if it grosses you out-"

She grabbed the spoon from my hand, dipped it in, and put it in her mouth. "It's okay. See?"

I sighed. "Why'd you make a big fuss about it then?"

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't, uh, sick."

"Well, I was sick a few days before you got here actually, so I'm not super sure."

"Eh?!"

"Yeah, I was gonna say something, but you just shoved it into your mouth."

"I hope I don't get sick…"

"It'd be quite inconvenient for sure." I took the spoon back from her then sipped the broth again. "You know, I never asked, how come you're wearing an outfit like that?"

"Huh?"

"You know, the somewhat short skirt, the gradient cloth kinda hanging down from your chest, and the exposed belly?"

"Oh come on, it's hypocritical when your sister looks like she's going swimming or something." Lily crossed her arms. "But our outfits… well, I guess I never really thought about it, since it's pretty much a standard way of dressing." She looked down at her stomach and legs, then sighed. "Well, at least you've got that cloak for me."

"I mean, you wear it well, but I wonder if you get cold."

"Sometimes," she admitted. "I've only got this one though, but I don't change out of it except when I need to wash it. It was a gift from my father."

"Your father…"

"Yes." The Espeon smiled a little. "I wonder how they are doing… mom and dad."

I stretched my calves as I put the spoon down. "You never told me much about your parents."

"Well…" Lily crossed her legs. "I suppose it's time I tell you what I know."

I decided to listen quietly.

"My mother, as you already knew, was a librarian. She was one of the heads. My dad was a historian for the city, recording things as they happened. I was their first and only child, a normal girl in almost every way. I spent time at school during the day, then spent the rest of the day with my mother at the library, reading. We were a happy family, wealthy, and we got along. Then… one day, they did an IV examination in school. They found my stats were exceptionally high. They were looking for the wielder of the sacred weapon; we had assumed the royal bloodline had been diluted or vanished altogether. But they pulled out the staff, and tested the highest IV children. And it reacted positively to my blood."

I didn't say anything, but thought about it.

"After that, they brought me to meet the standing in royal family. They obviously weren't happy about it, and after much argument, rule was split between me and their daughter, who was 2 years older than me." She closed her eyes as if recalling something painful. "She hated me, even though I did my best to get along with her. She was awful to me, but she was able to hide it around the council. I was framed for many things, many of them awful. Eventually… they decided that because I hadn't been raised in a queenly fashion, I couldn't rule."

"That's horrible."

"It wouldn't have been too bad, but I heard something I shouldn't have. The other princess wanted to start a war. She had been plotting along with the Umbreon royals to start a large war and drag the other six nations into it like many years ago. And then the two of them would seize control of all eight nations. I was terrified after hearing them discuss it the night before I was supposed to return back home after failing as a princess. Unfortunately, I was heard, and they came after me to keep me quiet." She pulled her legs to her chest, curling up almost as she stared into the fire. "The Soul Dew is the one object that has the answers to put to rest this entire conflict. Both Espeons and Umbreons blamed each other for Julie and Terren vanishing. If I can show them what really happened… perhaps the soldiers won't listen."

"But… what do you think actually happened?"

"You know the story," she said. "It was too bizarre."

Deep down, I agreed with her. "I'm sorry for what happened," I finally said.

"It's fine. I got to meet you and your sister and you're nicer than any Espeons I've known." Her smile was slight, but genuine.

"Thanks, I guess?"

"I feel like I've said that before. But I mean it. I feel joy just being with you, Lloyd." She blushed a bit. "Anyways, is it ready?"

"Yes, let's enjoy."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I sat by the fire alone as Lily went to the stream to rinse off.

"I'll just shout if something happens, don't worry," she assured me.

I wanted to look through my book some more, but even with the flame, the lighting wasn't good enough. Instead, I held onto the blade. "Sophie…" I murmured, remembering the dream I'd had a couple nights back.

You could imagine my shock when it replied. "Yes Lloyd?" it replied, almost as a yawn.

"Eh?! Oh, um… were you sleeping? Where are you?"

"Hmph, still looking to activate the Soul Dew. Do you really want to see me? It uses a lot of energy to take form in the living world."

"You can do that?"

"Yes, but I'm not gonna lie. It's not something I want to do."

"So… umm, I don't really know you still."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean…" I pondered what to say. "We've only talked once before."

"Well, I do know you however. For these past few days, I've seen everything you do. So I know what kind of guy you are," the voice said matter of factly. "But don't take that the wrong way. You're quite interesting. And I've enjoyed seeing how the world has changed over these past 300 or so years."

"You can communicate with me whenever though?"

It heard her yawn. "Well… I sleep during the day. You weird Umbreons nowadays sleep at night, but we traditionally were nocturnal. But if you call on my power, I will help you."

"This sword… I mean, you have a lot of special powers. But… I-"

"You haven't even tapped into what I can do at all. Like, not even close," she sighed. "But… you'll learn. That Prince Terren took awhile too."

"So you did serve him. What kind of Pokemon was he?"

"Kindhearted… determined… and a total jerk."

I jumped at the last part. "What do you mean, a jerk?"

"Hmph, I can't even stand to talk about him.

"Can't you tell me what happened?"

"Not yet," she replied. "But he's a jerk."

I sighed. "How old are you?"

"Six hundred and forty seven."

"I mean… the form your body is in now."

"Oh, 16."

"You mentally still seem like a kid," I muttered.

"I heard that you know," she pouted.

"Well… I don't want to scare Lily with my voice, so you… I don't know, go back to what you were doing."

"I listen to you, you know. I spend my time watching you."

"That's a little creepy," I said, rubbing my neck.

"Hmph, I'll be quiet for now."

I could hear some splashing; I'd probably be able to see Lily if I peeked over a hill. Crickets chirped a little in the night, and I yawned before pouring myself another bowl of soup. Luckily, I had read up a bit on Jolteons and their combat style previously, but I sure hoped that I wouldn't have to fight any.

"Lloyd, you there?" called Lily.

"Yeah. You all right?"

"Mhmm. You want to come and wash now?"

"Huh? Aren't you still rinsing?"

"Well yeah, but… you're gonna want to see this."

I quickly ran down. The darkness made it hard to see any features of Lily, though I could make out where she was. Some splashing ensued as I waded out to knee-deep. "What is it?"

I could see her point out into the distance. "What's that?"

There were some dark outlines that appeared to be mountains, but that wasn't what she was pointing at. Above them was a bright yellow light that slowly seemed to be moving around the peak. "I… what could…"

We both watched it in disbelief. The mountain was very far away still. "That thing is either very bright… or very big," murmured Lily, speaking out my thoughts.

"Yeah."

"Even _The Eight_ never mentioned anything like this," I said, thinking about what it could be. "As long as it doesn't harm us…"

It seemed to circle the peak for about five minutes before slowly fading behind. "Do you know which way Eltron City is?"

"A little East of that peak. It should be around the base of that mountain."

"Hmm… still though… I wonder what that could be."

I heard some splashing, then I turned to look at her, only to realize she was still naked. The ruby on her forehead glowed a bit. She smirked a bit. "So are you gonna stand there and watch me bathe?"

"Uh, sorry," I said, looking away, and heading back to the hill.

"I mean, it's not like you can really see much aside from my face too though," she reasoned. "So if you want to bathe now, you could…"

"It's more the thought," I replied curtly.

"Eheh, okay Lloyd."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"I must say… this city is pretty impressive," breathed Lily. In front of us was a wall seemingly made of metal, 50 feet high. We had trekked through the next day, and it was about noon.

We stood outside the city's main gate. Both of us wore cloaks to conceal ourselves, but even I felt suspicious. "Do you have the disc?" I asked.

"Mhmm." She had attacked it to the necklace that contained the Soul Dew. "Well, let's g-"

A voice sighed. "Well, you don't see many Pokemon come through these gate with cloaks on. It's pretty much against the rules, you know?" A Jolteon stepped in front of us, rifle in hand. He wore a military-looking outfit, with some silver parts. "I'm going to need to ask you two to remove your cloaks."

I stepped forward, pulling it back. "Is this okay?"

He frowned a bit. "An Umbreon, huh? What would be your business here?"

I glanced at Lily, and she nodded. She pulled her cloak back, then took out the disc.

"Eh?! An Espeon, gua-" He stopped as her saw it, then narrowed his eyes. "A control disc? Where did you get such a thing?"

"They said that Ardin would hear us out if we brought this to him."

The Jolteon seemed a little suspicious, but he held out one of his hands, while keeping the other on his rifle. Lily handed it over, and he examined it a bit. "Hmm… even the grooves… and the weight… yes… this is indeed a control disc." He waved over the other guards, handing it back to Lily. "Lord Ardin shall entertain you two. Can you cover while I escort them?"

"Understood."

The houses inside the walls were elegantly designed, having swooping roofs and glimmering in the sun. Black rooftops seemed to select the sunlight. "Are those solar panels?" I asked.

The Jolteon was clearly surprised. "Indeed. I wouldn't have expected an Umbreon to know about them. Perhaps you do however, Ms. Espeon?"

"Yes. Sunlight into energy, research done on Leafeons and how they charge Solarbeam."

"As expected of an Espeon," he said without turning around. "But you see… we've perfected them. We've made it an easy way to generate electricity without burning our energy."

Some Jolteons along the road stopped to watch us, but none of them said anything. They did seem rather tense however. "Should I cover myself?" asked Lily nervously.

"No," he replied. "I am the head of the royal guard here, so if you're with me, they won't question it. And you can feel it too, can't you?"

"Feel what?" I asked.

"They're curious about you… and just tired. We've been…" He seemed to think he said something he shouldn't have, then shook his head. "Never mind. I never got your names did I?"

"Lloyd," I said.

"Lily."

He nodded. "I see. Well, out lord is going to listen out to you, but I'm not sure why you're interested in meeting him. He's been… busy as of late."

Lily and I both glanced at each other. We figured we didn't want to make it like we knew what was going on. "I hear he's very smart."

"Indeed. He's a marvelous inventor. I'm sure he'd be glad to brag- er, show off his inventions, even to outsiders like yourselves."

A large, cylindrical capsule stood in front of us. "What's this?" I asked.

"It's an elevator," he explained. "It's powered electrically and is pulled up with a motor."

We looked up. A large wall stood in front of us now. "So they live up here?"

"Yes. We'll have to take maybe four or five of these to get to the very top of the city where the royal family lives."

I wasn't a big fan of heights, but seeing Lily step in without hesitation convinced me to do the same. The Jolteon rested his hand on a metal plate, launching a few sparks before it jerked up a bit. I bent my knees and held out my arms to balance myself, but it eventually smoothened out.

"Is this safe?" I asked.

"The cord is made of metals. Unless we're talking about some intense heat, at which point we'd probably be cooked alive, it's not going to snap."

"Nice," said Lily sarcastically.

"You know, I expected an Espeon to be a lot more… how would I put it? Stuck up," said the Jolteon.

"Ouch?"

"Sorry, that was rude of me," he said, rubbing his connected arm with the other. "But I've heard things about you Espeons."

"I know. I haven't heard the greatest things about Umbreons and Jolteons myself."

The car shook a bit before coming to a stop, and he pushed open the door. "All right, let's go- ah! Princess!" We both looked to see him quickly get down on one knee and bow his head. "Lady Kaira," he said, looking down.

She giggled a bit. "Thank you Theo, but I told you, it's not necessary to do that." She looked at us, then said, "All right, I heard that some outsiders were here. I assume that's you two?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, that's us."

"Great. I'll take it from here Theo."

"Of course," he said, stepping back. "Be safe."

"Don't you worry, Theo." She had a kind grin on her face. "Well, let's be going now, you two."

The Jolteon had a slender build fairly similar to that of Lily, but maybe a little less fragile-feeling. She had a playfulness in her words, and even her gown wasn't especially regal, looking almost like a yellow, body-hugging vest and a knee-length skirt. Her blonde hair was fairly short, and she wore two golden bracelets on each wrist. And unlike myself or Lily, she didn't appear to have a tail, though that was true for all Jolteons.

"So what are your names?" she asked as she walked ahead of us, glancing back a bit.

"I'm Lloyd."

"Lily."

"Lloyd and Lily, I see. Well then, what business do you have with our lord, my brother?"

"Well…" I began. "Medicine. We had heard that… someone was sick here, and we may have a solution."

She didn't seem to react much, just walked ahead. "Is that so?"

Lily and I exchanged looks. Perhaps she wasn't sick? "Yes, do you perhaps know someone who is sick?"

"I do, in fact," she said, though now I picked up a slightly defensive hint in her voice. "Ardin…" she muttered.

"Huh?"

She sighed. "Well… I suppose it does concern you two to an extent. But Lord Ardin will explain it."

We took a few more elevators up in silence before we came to the top. This one went through a hole in the floor, and took us to what looked to be a covered balcony with its roof supported by metal pillars. It was exposed on the sides, and I noticed some stairs going up.

Suddenly, we heard a loud bang, and both me and Lily jumped up. "What the-"

"Kaira, what are doing?" said an irritated voice. "I thought I told you to stay in bed for today."

"I can do what I like, Ardin. I'm still a royal, even if I'm not our eldest."

"Hmph." A Jolteon stepped out from behind one of the pillars. His hair stood up somewhat, blonde, and he wore an all white suit. Like Kaira, he had two bracelets on each wrist, though his seemed to be a little larger. He didn't look to be much older than us. "What if you collapsed again?"

"I'll be fine," she insisted.

Shaking his head, he turned to us, hands on his hips. "An Umbreon and an Espeon, what great timing. What, are you two prisoners or something?"

Lily held out the disc, and he immediately narrowed his eyes. "We were told that you'd hear us out with this."

"Oh? Now that's interesting." He snapped his fingers, and some attendants came to his side as he turned around. "I take it you know who I am, so I'll cut to the chase. Attendants, can you get us some drinks? I'll take these two to the lounge room."

They vanished quicker than I expected, and we followed him up the stairs into what appeared to be a lounge. It was covered on all sides with dark red walls, and two yellow couches were opposite of each other, though one was significantly more ordained with decorations. Dim lights lit the room, and a bottle of some drink, as well as three glasses sat on a table between the two couches. He sat himself into the fancier couch, crossing his legs and arms. "Well go on, have a seat you two. Oh? I think you should go wash up and rest, sister."

Kaira had followed a bit behind us, and she responded, "This has to do with me as well."

"Does it? I'll decide that," he said. "Now then…" He unravelled his legs as he leaned to pour the bottle into the three glasses. "Tell me, how did you get that control disc? And that sword as well, Umbreon."

He had recognized the sword immediately; this Jolteon knew a lot it seemed. "Well… I'll let Lily explain the disc."

"Go on then, L- oh? Lily huh… I do seem to recall…" Ardin looked at her, then laughed. "Pfft, an Espeon princess of ancient blood… right here in our palace. That thought is quite humorous."

"You're quite well informed," commented Lily with an edge in her voice. "Recognizing a princess and a legendary weapon."

"Of course." He picked up a glass and crossed his legs while taking a sip of it. "Knowledge is power. So I devote all my time to information and research. But please go on, Princess Lily."

"This disc was given to us by the keeper of Crescent Town's clock tower. He said that your father owed him a favor." She looked at him, expecting a response, but he did nothing, merely took another sip. "So that's how we received the disc."

"Is that all there is to it?"

"No. But that's all you need to know."

He leaned foward, putting down the glass. "Well then. Go on you two, have some wine."

"Wine? I don't drink," I said.

"Me neither," followed Lily.

He pulled his hair back. "Well then Umbreon. Humor me with that weapon of yours. Because that's not something I get to see everyday."

"It's a gift. I got it from one of my friends. And yes… it did react with my blood."

"Oh?" He leaned forward, holding his hands together. "Now that… that's interesting. So it does seem like all four of us in this room have royal blood. Wonderful. You know…" The Jolteon pulled out a pistol from seemingly nowhere. It was gold, but had yellow gems along its side. I recognized it from _The Eight_. He didn't point it at us, but merely let it rest on his hand. "I've got one of them too. And I believe you have one as well, don't you Lily?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. But enough with that… now tell me you two, why are you here? To help me? Or to take something from me? Or perhaps both?"

I reached into my pack and pulled out the flask of medicine. "This. I'm here to offer this to you and your sister in exchange for a small amount of your blood."

He listened while looking at the glasses. "May I see it?" I tossed it at him, and he grabbed it out of the air before holding it up against the dim yellow lights. "I recognize this. An Umbreon specialty. A cure-all for most Umbreons, yes. But I've seen this and read on it before." He tossed it back to me. "My sister looks okay, but the truth is that she has an illness that makes her very weak and cold. Physically, if you pushed her, she might tip over. I'm not wrong am I, Kaira?"

"No," she said hesitantly. "You're correct."

"So based on those symptoms, the medicine should work somewhat. But it needs to be refitted." We both noticed that the cocky edge in his voice seemed to vanish as he talked about the medicine. "I do know the herb to mix into this to relieve Kaira, mind you. But let me hear about what you need my blood for."

Lily pulled the Soul Dew from her shirt, and unclasped it. "Soul Dew, which allows you to communicate with those who've passed."

"Yes, I've heard of this. There is a lot I want to know… but I'll keep it simple. Who is it you wish to speak with?"

"Princess Julie and Prince Terren."

"The two lost royals, huh? Or your ancestors, I believe. Yes… I really do wonder what they'd say." He sipped the wine before looking at Kaira. He rested his hands on his thighs and pushed himself to his feet. "Well then… I shall kindly let you two spend the night here at the palace. Dinner will be at the open balcony when the sun is half-set. Please pass me the control disc." Lily handed it over, and the Jolteon nodded. "I will await you two for dinner. In the meantime I shall discuss matters with my sister."

Lily and I both walked down the stairs, and as soon as we got to the bottom, it began to curl itself up, closing up the room. "A mechanical stair, huh," I commented.

"What a jerk," she grumbled as we walked along the covered balcony. "He really was quite stuck up."

"Well… once he did start talking about the medicine, he seemed to loosen up."

"I know… but… I don't like him."

"I don't really, either," I admitted. "But he apparently knows how to mix the medicine to cure his sister, who seems a little nicer."

"He never really responded whether or not he was going to give us his blood."

We walked out to the edge of the balcony, where some sunlight was let in. We could see the entire city below. "Quite the view," I murmured.

"Yes…"

On our right, we could see the large mountain that had the glowing dot the previous night. It wasn't as steep as we had thought, but the peak was still well above us even above the city. Nothing unusual seemed to happen on it now.

"Thinking about last night?" asked Lily.

"Little bit. I just…"

"Yeah," she said. "I know what you're feeling. I get the feeling that the light… one way or another, we're gonna learn about it."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"My lord," bowed Theo. "I have the information you were seeking."

"The habits of the machine?" Ardin took the papers. "Oh… well well well, it looks like you've got some very good information indeed." He clapped his hands. "Excellent work. As expected from the head of our guards."

"Thank you."

"Dismissed." Theo nodded then took the elevator down. "You two were eavesdropping, am I right?"

"We were told to come here for dinner."

There were four seats around a table, and the attendants pulled out the chairs. Kaira sat next to Ardin, leaving me and Lily at the other two seats. They poured us some wine again.

"You sure drink a lot for someone near our age."

"Hmm?" he asked, sipping from his glass. "I don't expect some Pokemon who ran away from their duties to judge what I do." He wiped his mouth on a cloth as the attendants brought some bread and butter.

"I didn't run away from it," defended Lily.

Chewing on some bread, he watched her for awhile before swallowing it and crossing his arms. "You know, I fully embrace my role as ruler here. I know you probably think I'm an ass, and you're probably right. I wasn't always like this. But I'm not going to defend myself. You need to think you're fit to do a job to rule." He sipped his wine again before resting his head on his hands which were held up by his elbows, as if examining something. He snapped his fingers and the lights flicked on inside the darkened room. "They're sound triggered. One it hears my fingers click, it goes on. If I clap, it'll turn off. I am one of… no, the best inventor around these parts. The attendants bought some meat next with cooked vegetables, and he began cutting it with his knife.

We looked at the meat; it did look quite tasty. The knife sunk into the meat nicely, and I pierced it with my fork before eating it. "This is quite good," I commented.

"Of course, it's the best we've got here."

Even Lily seemed to enjoy it. "The vegetables are quite good as well. Don't you think Lloyd?"

I nodded.

"Huh? What would you know?" asked the Jolteon.

"I worked on a farm," I explained. "It helped me learn a lot about plants."

"Someone of royal blood on a farm?" scoffed the Jolteon. I wasn't too sure what to say, but the Jolteon merely shrugged it off after his initial remark. "Well it's not my business, admittedly."

Kaira coughed, and we all looked at her worriedly. She did sound a little off. "I'm fine," she muttered after the bout passed through her.

Ardin poured her a glass of water, which she gulped down graciously. "Thanks."

"Now… I've finally got an answer to your offer. The medicine for my part of the soul Dew's activation right?"

"Yes," said Lily hopefully.

He held up his hand, and closed his eyes, as if motioning someone to stop. "I'm turning you guys down."

Kaira blinked. "Brother… a-"

"No, I'm not a heartless bastard," he said opening his eyes. "If you retrieve the herb I need, I will fulfill my part of the deal. The herb is necessary to adjust it so it works full strength on my sister."

"What herb is this?" I asked.

"A white herb," Kaira replied. "It only grows on the mountain right next to us. Which is where we need your help." Ardin leaned back drinking his wine as Kaira began to speak. "We, as in the Jolteons, have long been at the forefront of mechanical development. Many years ago, longer than anyone knows really, we built a technological marvel. A mechanical defender in the shape of Zapdos, the legendary bird Pokemon."

I listened closely. "So a giant machine?"

"Exactly. The Pokemon who built the Zapdos was a genius, and though my brother would never admit it, he was perhaps one of the most brilliant ever."

"Hmph," replied Ardin, though he didn't say anything.

"Only now are we starting to understand just how the machine works. But the problem; it's been out of control for awhile now. A fierce thunderstorm made it go haywire, and it patrols the mountaintop, attacking anyone who dares go near it."

"Most of us have electrical immunity to its attacks," explained Ardin. "But it whips up these monstrous windstorms that make it near impossible to get close. And its topaz cores absorb our electrical weapons."

"We saw something flash on the mountain last night," mentioned Lily. "Was that it?"

"Most likely. It's capable of conjuring massive thunderstorms itself. But this is where the deal can be met. An Espeon and an Umbreon both have ways of attacking that are not easily absorbed by its cores. If you can disable it with your attacks, you can crawl into its mouth and shove this into its slot and that should shut down the Zapdos." He held up the gold disc. "It used to protect us many years ago, but recently, its kept us from getting the herbs we need from the mountaintop." She looked at us; the Jolteon was sick, but there was no pleading in her eyes, merely a question. _Will you save me?_

"It's going to be dangerous," said Ardin. "Even for me. So if you have any doubt, there is no need. We don't have time for the weak."

"So you're saying you'd just let your sister die?" challenged Lily. "What kind of ruler are you? Any good rul-"

In a flash, the Jolteon had pulled out his pistol and had it pointed at Lily. "Don't test me, you Espeon. Royal family or whatnot, I'll kill you if you disrespect me."

"Hey, put that gun down," I said.

"Ardin," said Kaira threateningly. "You as well as I know that the bird is a huge threat. We don't know how much longer it's merely going to stay around that mountain. And what if it comes after the city? This isn't just about me, this is about protecting everyone here. The Jolteons here simply don't have means of stopping it. These two can help. So stop acting so haughty and do what's best for us."

The Jolteon was quiet for a bit, then huffed. "Very well. The royal family of the Jolteons… we humbly request your help in disabling the machine."

Tia and I both nodded. "We'll assist you," I replied.

"Of course, that's not to say that's all there is to it. You're going to need prove to me that you've got the speed and reflexes to dodge its attacks." He sipped his wine, then stood up, holding up three fingers. "Three chances. This gun, as you may or may not know, shoots electricity. I'm going to attack you with it three times, so you've got three chances. You must block or avoid one of them in three attempts."

"You're crazy!" hissed Lily. "That could kill him!"

The Jolteon shook his head. "I'm not so stupid as to make it that powerful, princess Lily. It'll hurt bad should he get hit, but it won't have any lasting damage. A stinger, you might call it."

"I'll do it," said Lily.

"That's pointless," countered the Jolteon. "I know you can divert it with psychic energy." After she looked at him a bit, he added, "Hey, I might be a jerk, but I won't go back on my word. You have my promise."

"Understood," I answered.

"In that case, let's go the rooftop. Or…" He clapped twice, and suddenly, a square formed in the rooftop above. The ground we were on began to shake, and it began to rise through the hole before creaking to a stop. We now appeared to be in some sort of garden, though it looked like there were other small houses atop. A breeze blew through now, stronger than before. "Now then, Lloyd. Let's begin."

I reached back and pulled out the weapon. "Are you there, Sophie?" I asked.

"Mhmm, good luck."

"Can't you help me?"

"I'll let you figure this one out."

I sighed, holding up the sword. "Thanks."

"Are you ready, Lloyd?"

"Yes," I replied, holding it up with two hands now. "Let's go."

I watched as he immediately reached to his side and flipped up the pistol, and immediately had it pointed at me. "Too slow," he smirked.

I quickly held the sword in front of me, trying to block it, but he had caught me off guard with his draw speed. I didn't make a noise as the lightning arced through my body, causing me to collapse. The pain was so much I could't even comprehend it. Then just like that, it vanished, with no pain left at all.

I gasped. "What…"

"Hmph, I am the quickest draw here, you know Lloyd. Someone wielding such a weapon must be better," he said irritably.

I grit my teeth. "All right," I said, pulling myself up and holding the sword again. "Let's do it."

He narrowed his eyes, then pointed the pistol at me. "So be it."

I watched as he aimed to my shoulder, and I got ready to block it. I heard the click as he pulled the trigger, and I quickly moved to block it. Then suddenly, the bolt curved down to my opposite thigh. "Shit!" I hissed as I took another hit, and felt my leg lock up.

"Two strikes!" said Ardin. "You'll need to be stronger than that to stand against the machine!"

"Lloyd, are you okay?" asked Lily in worry.

"I can do this," I said with a hiss. "Come on then!"

The Jolteon crossed his arms. "Oh? You've got resolve Umbreon, I'll give you that. But this is to save you. If you can't stop my attack, you have no chance at all. It's for your own good!" And with that, I watched as another attack flew at me.

Time seemed to slow down as it came to me. "Jeez, you're worse than I thought," sighed Sophie. "I want you to sense things Lloyd. A weapon is an extension of your conscience… especially a weapon like me. Use it to sense what'll happen."

"What do you mean?"

She huffed. "Feel where he's going to attack. Look at his eyes Lloyd."

I did. "He's aiming at my other shoulder this time."

"Now… watch as he looks to your right."

"I see…"

"Your ribs this time. Block it!"

I did as she said, and the sword connected with the bolt, dispersing it.

Ardin looked at me, then nodded. "Well I see you've proved yourself." He tucked the gun away. "I'll see to the preparations," he said, walking away. "Attendants, see to their needs." He turned around a bit. "If they help us, I'll help them realize their dream. No matter how foolish it may be."

Kaira sighed before looking at us. "I can't believe he wanted to attack you. I also can't believe you deflected it like that."

"Huh?"

"My brother is probably the best combatant of our race right now. Being able to block an attack like that is no small feat."

"Huh?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah, you moved ridiculous quick to avoid that last shot. But are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," I said. My legs felt a little numb, but I'd be okay. "Don't worry."

Kaira stretched her back. "Sorry," she said awkwardly. "He wasn't always like this…" She coughed a bit before saying, "I'll show you to our guesthouse. It has its own bath and other amenities." One of the houses that was along the edge of the garden was where she led the two of us. "There's a small, personalized bath in the back, so you can use that. Attendants, please get them some beverages and snacks."

"Yes, my lady."

Kaira rested her hands on her hips and smiled. "You know, you two seem like you do get along well. I never, in a thousand years, would have expected that. But it's nice to see."

Lily giggled and I smiled. "Yes… we do get along. We're going to need to."

I nodded. "I need her help to free my sister. And Lily needs my help as well."

"Hmm… well, I'll leave you two now. Sleep well, we've got a dangerous job tomorrow."

We both bid her good night before opening the door. Inside, it was a cozy, wooden house. It was one large room, with lights inside and a single bed. There appeared to be a bathroom around the corner, and we could see the bath area through a window. "This is quite comfy looking," commented Lily.

"Yeah, it reminds me a bit of our house." I inhaled deeply. "Even smells the same."

"You know your sister," she began. "Do you think she's doing well?"

"I do," I said, wandering into the bathroom, which was dimly lit with a sink. "She's a tough Umbreon, tougher than she looks. She'll be fine. Of course I want to hurry and help her, but she told me that she'd be okay. And if the throne holders of our two regions want to start a massive takeover, we might be the only thing that can stop them."

"Kinda scary thought, don't you think?"

"It really is."

Suddenly, another voice chimed in, causing us both to jump. "You two are gonna need some help if you're planning to go against two whole armies."

Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, was the girl I had seen previously in my dream. "Sophie! How did you get here?" I looked around for my weapon, which was sitting on the bed. Unsheathing it, I saw it had lost a lot of its luster. "I said it takes some energy right? Well I felt like coming out." She stretched. "Ahh geez, I can't even remember the last time I've been out here." She breathed deeply. "Wonderful wonderful."

"Uh… Lloyd… is this…?"

"Yes," I said, clearing my throat. "You probably hear me mention her, but this is Sophie, the spirit of my sword. And Sophie, this is Lily."

"Of course. I've seen everything you've done even before we talked." The female Umbreon looked at Lily a bit before saying, "Hmm… now that I get a closer look at you… you really do remind me of her…"

Lily frowned. "Like who?"

"Well, Princess Julie. Not surprising at all considering she was your ancestor."

"Did you know Julie?"

"Oh yes. I knew her quite well." The Umbreon chose her words carefully. "I can't say we got along, but Terren really did like her."

I was a little surprised. "Why didn't you two get along?" I asked.

Sophie began to leave. "Doesn't really matter now, does it? Come on you two, let's wash together. Its been literal ages since I've physically bathed."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"So Sophie, uh, how long can you stay here physically?"

"Hmm…" The Umbreon pulled some of her hair out of her face. "Maybe until midnight or so. This'll use a couple days worth of energy, though I'm sure Lloyd could support me with more to hasten the process."

"What do you mean?"

She turned around to look at the moon, her long, wet hair covering most her back. "It's a give and take relationship, Lloyd." Peering over her shoulder, she said, "Your body can support me."

Lily and I both sat at the bath, our feet dipped into the hot water as Sophie washed herself. "Do you mind… Lloyd's right here, you know."

"Shh… a lady needs to be bold, Princess Lily."

"There's a difference between bold and an exhibitionist, you know."

Sophie chuckled before sinking into the water. "You seem more relaxed seeing me nude than Lily. That's disappointing, Lloyd."

"Well, you're a spirit."

"I am here in flesh and blood now."

"Yeah, but it's different."

Sophie huffed. "Well then… in that case, let's get down to business. I saved your ass today, you know."

"Yeah… thank you."

"Hmph, I can't just let my master die. But put it simply… you, well both of you, are still too weak. Rather than wielding me, I'm more dragging you along for the ride." She ran her wet hair through her fingers. "That's not to say you're useless. You're already quite strong, but you need to use me better."

I knew she was right. "Yeah… well, I was reading the guide, and there wasn't a lot on the weapon itself."

"I'm not allowed to tell you exactly what you need, but it's an equivalent exchange. You must offer me something to get something in return." The Umbreon rubbed her body, and I did my best not to stare. "So when are you two coming in?"

"I can't really wash when Lloyd's here. I'm not like you."

The Umbreon launched herself from the water, right up to Lily's face. "Sophie, wh-"

The Umbreon stared at Lily. "You're not like me, huh? That's what Julie always said. And look what happened to her."

"What happened?" asked Lily, unflinching.

"I-" The Umbreon seemed to realize she made a mistake, then said, "Forget it." The Umbreon rested her hands on Lily's shoulders. "I really could've mistaken you for Julie…"

"What? H-hey, th-"

A splash followed as Lily was dragged into the bath. "Gotcha."

Lily flailed a bit before regaining her composure and standing up, drenched. "Why?" she asked, before trying to cover her soaked body. "Gah, look away Lloyd!"

I stood up, listening to Sophie's laughing and Lily's angry shouts. "You look so embarrassed," giggled the Umbreon.

"I don't have much other clothes," hissed Lily. "What am I supposed to wear when I sleep?"

"Nothing? Or you could just wear it wet."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Sophie chuckled. "Come on, just strip and come into the water."

"What- no! Hey, stop that!"

"You two have fun," I said, getting ready to leave.

"You come in too Lloyd."

"I'll pass."

The female Umbreon sighed. "Suit yourself. Besides, I wanted to talk alone with Lily regardless."

Back inside the small house, I opened up the book. "Control disc…" I muttered, flipping through the pages. "Here we go."

 _As the most advanced of the eight regions from a technological standpoint, the Jolteons had developed a lot of tools to help them accomplish tasks in the past. Some of them are very ancient automatons, known as 'Sparks' in their language. These automatons were in many cases defenders of the city, though some were used to help accomplish smaller tasks too. The technology used to develop them was great, but it was difficult to control them, and thus, they relied on control panels to keep them under, well, control. These small gold discs are extremely valuable in the event of an aging automaton beginning to go haywire. They restore them to their proper form, allowing them to be properly shut down of repaired. Many of the automatons were buried or destroyed, but a few still exist mainly for defense of the land. And unfortunately, I have yet to encounter a combat oriented one…_

I closed the book. There hadn't been much information on these automatons, even from the book. Considering everything the author knew, this was definitely surprising. Still, there had to be some information I had missed somewhere. Perhaps I could try talk with Kaira, but I wasn't too sure where she and Ardin slept either.

There was a bowl of fruit, and I plucked some grapes before tossing them into my mouth. "Don't taste as good as ours," I murmured to myself.

I heard a slight rumble in the distance, and peered out the window. Circling the mountain was the massive ball of light, and I could barely, but surely make out its shape. There was no doubt it was in the shape of some bird. As if sensing I was watching it, it hovered in place a bit before quickly streamlining itself and flying to the opposite side. I watched as a bolt of lightning hit in its wake, followed by the expected boom of thunder.

I heard some knocking on the door, and quickly went to open it. "Princess Kaira," I said, nodding to her.

"Good evening Lloyd. For a moment I thought you'd be bathing."

"No, Lily and Sophie are using it…"

"Who's Sophie?" she asked curiously.

I decided it'd be easier to explain if and when Sophie showed herself. "A friend," I decided to say.

"A friend… hmm. Well, I was wondering if you heard the bird."

"Yes. I was able to see it a little. It is quite large…"

She laughed. "I've seen it up close. It's more than just large. Supposedly, the actual Zapdos himself wasn't much bigger than us."

She coughed a bit, and I asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yes yes… now then…" She pulled out a chair and sat in it, legs crossed. "My brother wanted me to give these to you. They're lock cables."

"Huh?" They looked to be small guns.

"You shoot these at the ground, they'll tether you and stop you from blowing away. As my brother mentioned, many of us are highly resistant or flat out immune to electrical attacks, but we're still prone to being blown away." She picked a grape off the vine and chewed on it. "Hmm…" I watched her eat it before said, "It's a double edged sword, you and Lily. You're the only ones that can do serious damage to it, at the expense of being more vulnerable."

"Why don't you try physically knock it down?" I asked.

"Physical damage would run the risk of damaging the already old control discs. We did that, it might have sent it totally haywire and attacking the city." She sighed. "A dark type and a psychic type… you guys do have physical techniques, but I'm thinking you both have some special attacks as well."

"Yes."

"In that case, I think we can do this." Kaira seemed to ponder something before saying, "The Princess of the Glaceons offered her help to Ardin about a month back. Of course he turned her down, but considering the damage on the current control disc, if we fail right here, I might have to contact them on our own."

"You know the Glaceons?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes. I wouldn't say we're allies or anything, but… well, the war and tension we had for so long has worn both of us down. Princess Claire visited us to make a deal; Ardin develops some things for them, and she would freeze down the bird."

I recalled hearing that the new Glaceons' ruler was very peaceful. Perhaps she knew something about my parents. "I see," I murmured in thought.

The back door opened and Lily walked in, covered in a towel. "Lloyd, you can go… oh, Kaira?"

The Jolteon bowed slightly. "Princess Lily, good evening."

"Yes, good evening."

"I was talking with Lloyd about tomorrow. My brother asked me to bring you some equipment," to which she motioned to the guns. "They'll tether you to protect against the strong winds."

Lily blinked. "He really made these for us?"

Kaira nodded. "My brother… well, deep down, he's not a bad Pokemon. I think you'll come to realize that. He is a jerk a lot of the time, but when push comes to shove, you'll find him a good Pokemon at heart."

Lily still looked skeptical, but she merely closed her eyes and exhaled. "I'll decide that on my own."

"Tell your brother we appreciate it," I said to Kaira.

"Will do. I'm sorry for eating some of these grapes," she added. "Well then… I'll be going. One of the attendants will probably come to wake you two up."

Kaira waved before closing the door behind her.

"So, where's Sophie?" I asked.

"She returned to your blade, I imagine," huffed Lily. "That spirit of your weapon is quite energetic. I don't know what I'm going to sleep in now…"

 _She can just sleep naked,_ said a voice in my head. I sighed. "Sophie…"

"Huh? Did she speak with you?"

"Yeah, she said you could just sleep naked."

"As if!"

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"So are you two ready to go?"

Lily and I looked at each other before nodding. "Yes, we're ready," said Lily.

"Kaira?"

"I'm good to go."

"Are you sure it's okay for her to come?" I asked Ardin. "She is a little sick."

Ardin nodded. "She is our best sniper. Her gun is specifically designed for range. The mech won't be able to see her ideally." The Jolteon Princess had a strap over her shoulder, from which it appeared two parts of a gun hung.

"I'll be fine," she said. "At any rate, I've got the mechanism to force open its mouth so you can put in the control disc. If I hit it right between the eyes, it'll lock the mouth into an open position. Using the cable guns, you can pull yourselves right in once I do that."

Ardin crossed his arms. "I'm going to be doing my best to distract it in the meantime, so I hope you're grateful.

"Thank you," I said.

We followed him as we took down the elevators to the entrance of the city. "There's a lot of lightning bolts that Zapdos summons, so you've got to keep a close eye out. Your hair will stand up a bit and your skin will tingle. Once you sense that, do your best to put something between its beak and your body. You've got about 5 seconds at that point to avoid getting fried. I've got some boots as well, but they're uncomfortable to walk in. You can put it on as we get closer to the summit."

As we left the city walls behind us and began ascending the mountain, I noticed that a lot of clouds swirled around the peak. "Is Zapdos causing those clouds?" I asked.

Ardin just grunted, though I saw Kaira nod. "Yes. Those clouds are indeed caused by it. It's amazing the flowers and herbs grow up there when it's so cloudy."

"Enough sunlight gets through though," said Ardin from ahead. "Hopefully the stupid bird didn't trample it all."

"The scouts from a few days back said it was okay, did they not?"

"Yes they did."

The landscape slowly changed from green to rockier. There weren't many trees at all throughout the ascent. Finally, we reached a flatter area from which we could overlook the city below. "Impressive, don't you think?"

The walled city glimmered in the sun, its metal coloring sparkling like a beacon. Lily nodded. "It is," she admitted. "How much farther?"

"Hmm…" said Ardin. "Depends where Zapdos is. It circles around a loop along lower and upper areas. I can't say for certain." The Jolteon pulled out some boots. "These are rubber, which should help you repel electricity. They might save your lives."

Lily and I slipped them on; they weren't especially comfortable, but I felt like I could run in them if needed. "Thanks."

"All good?"

"Yes."

"Let's get going." The four of us stood up, and continued our way up to the summit.

As we reached a flat area just below the peak, I felt my skin begin to tingle. "Is this it?" I asked, ready to move.

Kaira shook her head, and Ardin sighed. "No, it's not."

"Well, how are we supposed to know?" defended Lily. "I feel it too, you know."

"This is just the atmosphere it creates. It's an environment that conducts lightning well." The Jolteon looked around. "Hmm. Okay, we are quite close now," he said after some thought. He pointed to a stone outcropping a little off to the side. "Kaira, can you sit out there?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"Hurry now… it should be coming around in a few minutes."

"Eh? That soon…" murmured Lily.

Kaira blinked. "Okay. You two… well, me and Ardin should be okay. But please be careful… you really could die if you aren't careful."

"We will," I said.

Lily held out her hand, summoning her staff. "Let's get ready, Lloyd."

I pulled out my weapon. "You there, Sophie?" I whispered.

"Yes. Always."

Ardin watched us before saying, "You two, be careful now. I don't want to be responsible for dragging your corpses down."

We were both surprised, but Lily smiled. "Thanks, Ardin. Your sister… she knows deep down, you're a good Pokemon."

"Of course I am," said the Jolteon with a frown.

I chuckled. "All right." I readied the tether gun, as did Lily. "Let's take this down."

A strong gust of wind nearly blew us off our feet right there. Giant wings of what looked to be a mix of stone and metal came into view with a loud screech that pierced the air. Its beak looked to be made of steel, and its "eyes" were small slits. But the most impressive thing was the sheer size of it; it looked to be nearly a hundred feet tall, maybe more. Electricity crackled in the air as it hovered, partially by its flapping, partially by what appeared to be some other force.

"I'm guessing this is it, huh?" said Lily, her voice almost lost in the wind.

Ardin whipped out two weapons, one looking to be a tether gun and the other his electric pistol. "You two, get away from here," he hissed. "I'll be f-"

The massive bird lunged at him with phenomenal speed. "Ardin!"

He was launched up into the air before landing with a thud, unconscious. The bird looked ready to attack him again, but Lily ran in front of it. "Lily!" I shouted, reaching after her. The air crackled with lightning. "What are you doing?!" I screamed, feeling imminent attack about to hit her. "No! Lily! Move!" Then the strike of lightning arced towards the Espeon, my body not quick enough. "Lily!"

 **End Ch. 4**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

I saw it right about to hit Lily. Time slowed as the lightning raced towards her. I panicked right there, but I saw the Espeon smile a bit as she saw me from the corner of her eye. Immediately, a wave of pink engulfed us, as if some sort of barrier had surrounded us.

I felt time come back to me as the lightning was dissolved against the shield. Lily flinched a bit as it contacted, but she didn't step back. "I said I'd show you," she said.

"You're okay," I breathed.

The bird screeched, reminding us it was still there. The Jolteon thankfully sat up, a little dazed. "Dammit," he hissed. "Got caught off guard."

"You're okay," I said, holding out a hand to help him up.

He looked at me a bit, before chuckling a bit before taking my hand. "All right."

Lily had diverted another electrical blast with her staff, and her knees were shaking a bit. "Maybe a little urgency would help," she said, strained.

"Sorry."

"Thankfully, I can absorb the lightning attacks," said Ardin. "I'm going to need you to shield us from the wind though, and just avoid the physical hits."

"This thing is fast," I said as we tried to put some space between us and the machine. "How are we supposed to avoid physical hits while also avoiding its wind and electric attacks?"

"That's why I'll draw it off," he said, running off.

"Idiot," grumbled Lily. "Look what happened last time he said that."

"Let's go," I persuaded. "We must wait for Kaira to get a clear shot and disable it." We moved behind a large rock, hearing the screeching of the bird.

As we peered over, we saw Ardin was deftly avoiding its attacks, while slowly pulling it out into the open. It looked as if it could crush him whenever it chose to, but at the same time, he seemed remarkably in control and calm. But the bird had its back towards where we saw Kaira waiting. She motioned to us.

"What's she asking?" said Lily.

"I think she wants us to try get it to turn around," I said. The bird, no matter what Ardin did, seemed determined not to point towards Kaira.

Lily frowned. "You you think this'll work?"

"Huh?"

"Can't you launch like a dark pulse or something behind it and cause an explosion?"

"Well… I haven't tried that yet."

We watched Ardin nimbly jumping around. "He can't keep it up forever… do you have anything?" I asked Lily.

"Well… my staff can attack of course, but a big enough explosion to actually distract it… I don't know. I also don't know how it senses us."

"Huh?"

"Well, it's obviously a machine. It probably doesn't act like a Pokemon of course. So it must rely heavily on probably sound and vision." She looked around. "If only there was a way to-"

Ardin was launched off his feet, but this time, he seemed a little more prepared. He landed somewhat near us cleanly, but was breathing heavily. "Dammit… it's not giving Kaira a clear shot."

"You okay?"

He clenched his fist. "I'm fine," he said, not turning around.

"You're not," said Lily, standing up. "You need our he-"

"I can do this! I have to prove to her… to Claire… that I can do this…"

"The Glaceon princess? But-"

The bird screeched and we turned to it. "You just don't listen, do you?" he snorted. "All right then, guess I'll punish you." His hair stood up, and he held out a hand. "Now come to the ground." He snapped his fingers, and a bolt of lightning dropped from the clouds above, crashing straight into the Zapdos. The massive machine fell from the sky, launching a wave of air and making a crater as it landed. The bird lay on the ground, seemingly dysfunctional.

"Is it finished?"

Ardin shook his head. "I merely overloaded it. Once it comes to, it's going to be even more dangerous. I essentially supercharged its attacks."

He waved for Kaira, and the female Jolteon sprinted over. She pulled out her rifle and looked through the scope. "Gotcha."

Almost instantaneously, I heard a mechanical screeching as the mouth creaked open.

"Come on then, let's go," he said.

"Huh?"

"We need to disable it for now. If Zapdos senses something within it, it returns to its normal patterns. But we need to put in the control disc first, otherwise it'll go berserk once we leave it again."

He pulled out his gun and shot towards the mouth, hooking onto it. Ardin flipped a latch and it pulled him towards the massive beast's mouth. Me and Lily both did the same; the force was surprising, but it felt unusually safe as we were dragged into the beak of the bird. As we entered the massive machine, the beak slowly creaked shut behind us.

"Uh, is that okay?"

The Jolteon pulled out a small orb and sent a charge through it, generating light. "Here we go." We could see inside; there was a tube that went down the throat.

"Isn't the place where we put the disc inside the mouth?"

"Yes," he replied, looking around. "But as you can see…" He pointed to a panel with some slots. "The disc slot here is corroded." Lily and I walked over; the disc there was covered in some dried liquid, and looked partially cracked. "Don't get me wrong, I could fix it. But I'd need my full toolset, which I obviously don't have. Instead, we're going to the center; the heart of it. There's a backup control slot there."

He walked towards the tunnel, and we followed carefully. "Is there anything here that's… uh, dangerous?" asked Lily.

"Well… it does have an internal defense system," said Ardin. "It'll attempt to electrocute you."

"What?" I asked, looking around.

"So please be mindful of where you go."

"What does that mean?"

"It means listen to me," he said, looking around. He held out a hand, telling us to stop. "Shh…"

We could hear the sound of something dripping. "What is that?"

The Jolteon narrowed his eyes. "I don't know… oil within the machine? But…"

The entire inside began to creak. "What's happening?" asked Lily in alarm.

"It must be getting ready to go into its neutral position," said Ardin, sounding quite worried. "Shoot the inside somewhere. We'll use it as a rope to descend into the belly, otherwise we're going to fall in."

We did as he asked while the bird shifted to an upright position. The tips latched into the side with a clank, as we slowly descended into the darkness below.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

We landed in complete blackness. The air within was surprisingly humid, and it was completely eerie, aside from Lily's ruby light and Ardin's sphere. "This feels awful," whispered Lily.

I knew Espeons in particular hated the dark. "It's all right."

"Enough with the flirting," grumbled Ardin. "I can't stand that sort of thing." But it was clear even the Jolteon was uncomfortable in these depths. "Something isn't right…" he said. "It's like we're being watched… Lloyd, can you see anything?"

I carefully scanned the area; Umbreons had enhanced eyesight in the dark. "I don't see-" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I couldn't tell what it was, but there was something. It seemed to pass around a small passageway. "Hang on… there was something there."

I pointed, my fingers illuminated by the small electric ball. "Huh… around that corner should lead to the actual power circuit." The Jolteon looked a little uneasy. "I suppose I know what might be the cause of this," he finally said. "Something I've never encountered myself… but something that's very dangerous."

"What do you mean?"

A strong breeze of wind flowed through the cavernous insides. "There shouldn't be wind inside a machine like this. No… I believe we've been caught within a nightmare zone."

I stiffened. I'd read about it as well. "Rumor has it… that these zones have been exp-"

"No Lloyd, that's where you're wrong," said the Jolteon. "It's people fearing it. As you both may know, Darkrai was banished long ago. I know people think that he's going to return… but you and I both know that he won't."

"Yes," added Lily. "I remember researching these. Nightmare zones… areas based on the fears of Pokemon. Darkrai sought to expand them long ago, but he was eventually captured. Sealed away, he's not to return for thousands and thousands of years. But the areas he tried to pollute still exist. Still… he was vanquished before this machine was built. I don't get why this would be here."

"We don't know exactly how old this is," confessed the Jolteon, though he seemed somewhat irritated that he didn't know something. "But you are right. I don't get why or how this is here within the machine."

"The main controls are within the nightmare zone."

"So we've gotta go in there?"

"Don't trust your eyes," he said. "It'll bring up things that you fear."

He stepped around the corner, into the darkness. "Hey, wait-"

I turned to Lily. "He rushed in."

Lily stood next to me closely. I could hear her breathing. "Lloyd… do you know the nightmare zones?"

"A little."

She began to speak. "A nightmare zone is an area that, as Ardin explained, was fueled by Darkrai's desire to overcome the world in terror. But within it is a psychological zone that attacks each Pokemon differently. Their greatest fears are brought to physical form. But at the same time… they can't physically hurt you. But the damage they can cause can mentally break a Pokemon."

I listened closely. "Will he be okay?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "There's not a whole lot written about them since they're so rare." I looked around the corner into where that movement, as well as Ardin had vanished. Even with my enhanced eyesight, I could see absolutely nothing at all.

"It's dark in there," I murmured.

I could feel Lily breathing onto my shoulder now. "I hate this," she muttered. "It's not natural. This darkness."

"You have the disc?"

"Yes."

"Okay then," I said, taking a breath. "Let's go in."

She held my hand. "We should do this so we don't get lost."

Her face was illuminated slightly by the ruby, and I smiled a little. "Good idea."

Her soft hands felt nice as we stepped into the pitch black void. There was nothing at first. The only things I could feel were Lily and the floor beneath me. There wasn't even the slight mechanical smell from outside. I couldn't hear Lily at all.

"Lily, are you there?" She didn't respond, but I remembered what she had said. "A psychological zone," I murmured to myself. Lily's grip tightened a bit as we walked through. "Greatest fears, huh… I wonder what that would be."

Suddenly, we could see a distant light. It was blueish, but we kept walking towards it. "Can you see that Lily?" She didn't respond again, but the warmth emanating from her hand was enough. We walked up to it until we could finally make it out. It appeared to be a painting of some sorts, just floating in the air. Its brightness strained my eyes, but I could see what it was of a church or temple of some sort.

Lily was next to me, and I could see her face and hear her voice again. "This… picture," she choked.

"What's wrong?"

"I… I've seen this before. Only in dreams though…"

"What?"

The painting seemed to bend inward as she reached to touch it. "Yes…" she whispered. "Well… of course I wouldn't think much of it. It's a dream normally… but it makes sense that something like this would exist as a fear of mine."

"Hang on Lily… should we really touch something like this?"

"Yes…" she said softly. "It's… I want to…"

"Hey, wa-" A flash erupted around us as her fingers contacted the image.

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We now stood within that same building within the picture. There were intricate designs made of glass that let the light from outside in. Rows of seats stood in front of us. I suddenly realized Lily wasn't with me.

I looked at the Pokemon sitting in the seats; they were Espeons, but upon closer inspection, they didn't have any faces. They weren't scary, but merely just there. "Lily's fear… could this be it?"

A bell rang, reverberating throughout the church. The people in the pews all turned to the center aisle, where I stood, but their featureless faces weren't focused on me. I heard some footsteps behind me, and saw an Espeon in a pink dress quickly walk through. As she passed me, I caught her face; sharp, beautiful features that contrasted the natural, warm prettiness of Lily. Her long pink hair trailed behind her as did her tail. "Welcome my people!" Her voice was regal and intense, and she had a cold smile. "Today, we gather for the marriage of my lovely sister, Lily!"

Behind me, I heard more footsteps. Wearing a beautiful white gown was Lily; she looked so stunning that I couldn't even think. "Lily…"

She didn't seem to notice me as she walked past me slowly, her face expressionless. Her tail hung low, and the bouquet of flowers she held didn't seem to catch her attention at all.

"You should smile more, sister," said the other Espeon. "It's your big day."

Lily didn't react to her words either, but stepped up onto the raised platform. Across from her stood another faceless Pokemon. "Her fear… is… marriage?"

Then Lily looked at me. Had she seen me? But she glanced over to my side, and I saw the two Pokemon next to me were fully fleshed out. One of them was Lily's mother whom I recognized from the memory. The other was an older male Espeon, whom I assumed was her father. "Look, even your parents are here to support you," said the female Espeon. "Smile for me."

Lily quivered a bit. "I can't do this," she whispered. "I don't even know this man…"

"Oh? You know what happens. You can do this Lily."

Lily clenched her fist. "I…" She looked out the front entrance, which was a white haze. "I'll… I'll do it," she said, defeated, a single tear rolling down her face. "My parents…"

The two of them looked at each other, faces sad. "Lily," whimpered her mother, while her father held her mother tightly. "You don't have to do th-"

Then suddenly, her mother fell to the ground, blood trickling out her mouth. "Mom! Wh-why?" she choked, rushing over to her mother's side. "Mom…" she cried. "Mom…"

I didn't know what to do as I watched Lily panic at her mother's ailment. I crouched next to her, rubbing her back, but I went right through her. "Lily…" I said, trying to comfort her to no avail. "Forced into marriage… for your parents' sakes…"

Then suddenly, I was standing outside the image. On the ground, lying on her side and sweating, was Lily. I knelt next to her. "Lily, are you okay?"

"Yeah," she panted. "I'm… I'm fine. Did… did you see?"

"Yes…"

She looked down. "I know… she… the other princess wanted me to get married. With that, power would have likely been hers completely." She closed her eyes. "But… I fear for my parents. Both served the 'royal' family to an extent. And if they're captured… they'll use it to force me into marriage with someone I don't love or even know. They'll be hostages."

I listened. "Your parents… they have to be okay."

She sat up, fixing her skirt a bit. "I pray that they are," she said. "But that dream… my family being hurt… and being forced into it… it just keeps happening often. I feel scared that it might be destined to happen." I held out a hand, and she took it as I pulled her to her feet. "Thanks Lloyd."

"It's a real fear for your family," I sympathized. "I mean, I'm here to help my sister mainly. So I understand. And marriage… well, it has to be with someone you love."

"Of course."

I held her hand with both of mine, one on top and the other on the bottom. "It must be tough to see something you fear in person."

"You have no idea…" We scanned the area now, looking for anything else. "I wonder… if there's a picture that contains your nightmare."

I thought about what it could be. Perhaps the foggy area that was a recurring dream. "We should stay here though, since it seems a little lighter."

She nodded. "Ardin… I hope he's all right."

I stiffened. "He went in here alone. Do you think he'll be fine?"

"I hope so," she said. "But…"

"You saved him," I said with a nudge. "I know you said you disliked him, but you're not heartless, nor could you ever convince me that."

We walked behind the image, in what I thought was a straight line from where we had entered this dark void. After awhile, I lost the ability to hear Lily, but I felt her press closer to me, her warmth a soothing feeling.

Finally, we came to another image. I could already anticipate what it was going to be; the image in front was a foggy dock. It was merely a creaky wooden bridge that seemed to vanish into the white mist itself. But I recognized it.

"Lloyd, is this… a nightmare you've had?"

"Yes," I said. I wanted to touch it; I knew I shouldn't, but something compelled me.

"Lloyd… please remember… it's a dream. I felt drained, but once I remembered that, it let me out. Perhaps this is the way to escape this darkness."

I nodded before touching it.

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"A dream," I murmured to myself as I walked along the creaky walkway. It swayed ever so slightly. It was the same atmosphere, but I could tell it was a little more realistic as well, as if things here could cause some issues for me.

I was alone; being here, I suddenly recalled the different instances of this dream. One time, Lily had been missing. Another time, I had heard her voice, but hadn't seen her. And another time, I had been injured and she had been trying to help me. I looked around, though I didn't expect to see her. "Lily…" I said, stepping forwards. "Lily… if you can hear me… I-" A loud creak ensued, and I braced myself.

I suddenly heard a shriek. "Lily!" I ran in the direction it came from. "Lily, are you…"

Then I saw the same thing as previously; Lily's clothes lay on the wood. But this time, the pendant was missing. I didn't know what to think; could she actually be hurt in this dream? Or was she watching from somewhere, much like how I did in hers?

I grabbed the cloak and dress, looking around. It split off into three directions, forwards and left and right. Neither one looked to vary much. I called out her name, but no response came. Clenching her clothes, I decided to go forward. Like the other times, it was eerie quiet, aside from the slight noise of water. Then began to notice a shape in the distance. I cautiously approached. It appeared to be a cloaked Pokemon; they were so covered I had no idea what it was. As I got closer, it spoke in a voice I felt like I knew, but couldn't place it. "Umbreon… I've finally got you here. Yes both the royals of the two sides…"

"Who are you?"

"You'll know me," it said. The cloaked figure pointed to the ground, and only now, I noticed Lily's limp body.

"Lily!" She looked to be breathing, but she was bruised, and only in her underwear. "What did you do to her?"

"Hmph, did as I should with a fake."

"Lily…" I crouched next to her limp body. "Can you hear me?"

"Nngh… Lloyd… look out…"

"I-" Then I felt it, or somewhat. I looked down; a blade stuck through the front of me from the back. I had felt the force of the impact, but no pain. "It's…"

"Lloyd!" she yelped weakly, tears in her eyes. "W-wait… no… please stop…"

I fell forwards onto Lily, my blood staining her dress. "I'm sorry…" It was as if I was acting in a play… nothing was real, but I was going through the motions.

I felt her tears on the back of head as she held me. "Don't go… I'll heal you up."

"As if I'd let you," said the other Pokemon.

"You… I hate you…" said Lily to my attacker, clutching me as I lost consciousness. I closed my eyes, as the dream world washed out.

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"Lloyd… can you hear me? Lloyd!"

When I came to, I was outside the image again. "Lily," I said, sitting up. Everything in the dream felt so fresh, and suddenly, I realized that it might've been embarrassing for Lily to have seen that. "Oh… uh, did you see?"

"Well… I got kinda lost," she said. "There was a split in the path as I followed you and the fog kind of closed up. Was… there anything you… uh, want to talk with me about?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, no."

"Okay then… let's get moving. I'm not sure what the importance of these images is, but they do seem to be necessary to escape from here. Ardin might be waiting for us on the other side."

She walked ahead a bit into the dark. "Hey wait, shouldn't we stay together?" Lily waited a bit as I caught up, barely able to see her outline. She lightly held my hand as she took the lead out the dark. I couldn't help but feel that she had maybe heard or seen something within the dream world and just wasn't talking about it.

Then as we continued to walk, the area around us seemed to brighten until I realized there were lights all around us. A passageway with what appeared to be a massive dining hall was in the front. "What in the world…" breathed Lily.

We walked through in awe at the sheer size of the room; this was of course another illusory creation, as it was far too big to fit inside the already massive bird. "It's… look at all the food."

There was meat, fruit, vegetables, cheese, and so much of it all. I hadn't seen so much food in my life. "It looks so tasty too," said Lily breathlessly. "But… I've never heard of this… or seen it." Massive windows near the very top let a night sky in.

"It's not something I've ever dreamed about either."

"Then…"

Way down at the far end, at what looked to be a stage, was a Pokemon I recognized. Ardin stood there in his white outfit, holding up a drink. "My people, Glaceons and Jolteons alike… today, we shall finally put this whole conflict behind us." The voice seemed a little bit different however, and as we walked closer, we noticed that the Jolteon speaking wasn't Ardin, but one older.

"Princess Claire and my son Prince Ardin have agreed to get married. We'll put these years of conflict behind us."

"Of course," said a beautiful Pokemon with long, light blue hair. Her tone was proper and regal. "We may have had our differences, but our children can put an end to it, don't you agree Lord Roy?"

"Indeed. So now… a toast to our alliance!"

Then the lighting changed, and just like that, all the Pokemon inside faded away, as did the food and tables. Outside seemed to brighten, though the lights inside were off, leaving the massive hall darker than the night setting.

Two young Eevees stood in the center of the hall; one was clearly a girl and the other a boy. The boy was on his knees, gasping for breath. One hand was on his chest, and on the ground near him were two pistols; I recognized them as the ones Ardin had.

"Ardin," murmured the girl. She held a bow in one hand, though there didn't appear to be arrows anywhere. "Fighting me… why did you want to do this?" Both of them looked to be about 13 or 14. Her voice was filled with sympathy. "I-"

"I… I can't," he hissed. "My father was killed by one of your visiting Glaceons," he shouted, sobbing. "I hate you!"

"Ardin… I thought we were friends… ever since we were kids, we've played together," she said, sounding as if she was about to cry as well. "Please don't say that… we captured the criminal!"

"Fuck you!" He pounded the ground. "You may be stronger than me… but one day, I'll beat you. I promise you this!"

She turned around, tears in her eyes. She walked past us without noticing us, but stopped and looked back at the collapsed Jolteon. "Ardin… I know you hate me… but… if there's anything I can do… please tell me."

"Bring back my father!"

Then the Eevee wept as she ran past us, out of where we entered the massive hall.

Me and Lily looked at each other. "Does this mean…" she began.

"It… it seems that there was going to be an alliance between the Glaceons and Jolteons, but then-"

"Lloyd? Lily?"

We both turned around. From behind a stone pillar stepped Ardin, but his current self. "So you guys did make it through," he said surprised, then followed with a sigh. "I'm surprised you were able to get to me, given the ordeals required."

"Come on now, we're here to help," said Lily. "We both encountered fears of ourselves… but… well, I'm surprised yours is a memory."

Ardin crossed his arms. "It's a painful one for sure," he finally said. "I don't really know what else more there is to explain. Claire… well, she was a friend of mine. We were friends since childhood. Our parents planned for us to get married together from a young age. Not totally unlike a certain pair of Umbreon and Espeon in the past."

"And then one of the Glaceons killed your father…"

"And I blamed Claire. Even though she had nothing to do with it really." He exhaled, but I got a deep sense of the regret within him. "I was mourning my father. And I blamed her," he repeated. "I wasn't thinking clearly. It hurt me though. We were so close… and as a kid, I really did love her."

"Do you still?" I asked.

"Huh?" He seemed caught off guard, then shook his head. "Of course not. I've ruined our relationship. And besides… I don't think she'd forgive me."

"That's not what Lloyd asked though."

"Watch it," he said. "I know what he asked, don't take me for a fool," argued the Jolteon, clearly getting defensive.

"I think I get it though. You're scared that she won't ever forgive you and that you'll never get along."

The Jolteon turned around, and stretched. "I'm not obligated to answer that."

"Do you know how to escape from here?"

"I…" He sat down on one of the seats. "I don't know. I'd honestly forgotten that this was a realm of the mind… until I saw you guys here."

"Perhaps you need to make peace… or internally change to be free from this regret… or I don't know, something like that," said Lily. "To escape your doubts."

I expected Ardin to say something about it, but he merely seemed thoughtful. "Well…"

He looked out the door where the Eevee had ran. The young Ardin was still where he had been earlier, on the ground, defeated. The Jolteon sighed, then said, "I know." He walked to his younger self. "Hey, brat."

The Eevee looked up, sniffling. "Who are you?"

"Doesn't matter." The Jolteon kneeled down, and began quietly talking with his past.

"I wonder what they're saying…" commented Lily as we watched.

After about 10 minutes, the entire room vanished, hall and everything. We were finally left inside the beast. There were lights all around, and in the center seemed to be the main control within it. Ardin was still crouched, before pulling himself to his feet. "Let's take care of this damn bird," he grumbled, walking past. Lily pulled out the disc, and held it up.

"Just slide it in?"

There was a slot that looked like a large coin could fit in it. Ardin nodded. "Yes. Just let it slide into place."

I looked behind us; the void had vanished, and it was all lit now, up to seemingly where the entrance was. "It's almost as if it wasn't real at all," I said to myself.

"I agree," said Lily, as she overheard. "It was so quick… yet… I don't know."

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"How do you feel, Kaira?" asked Ardin.

"Good," said the Jolteon with a smile. "It's really great. I can almost feel it healing me."

Lily and I watched as Ardin and his sister talked a bit. After we had reset Zapdos, Ardin had decided to set it into a neutral state, disabling the core. "If I decide we need it again, I'll reset it," he said after adjusting a massive motor. "But for now… I'm not comfortable with the nightmare zone that was here. We'll leave it dormant." After that, we had left the bird and collected the flowers and herbs necessary to restore Kaira's ailment, and it looked to be working. She seemed to be coughing less.

"You know, Ardin… did something happen inside the Zapdos?"

"I… well… I kind of remembered something. How terrible I was to a childhood friend."

"Claire?"

"Yes."

"You know, right after that was when you changed. With leadership thrown onto you, you became obsessed with being independent and shoving away everyone from you. You're an ass you know?"

"I'm sorry," he said, looking away. "It's… I do realize my mistake after seeing what it did."

Lily frowned before muttering to me, "I really wonder how much he's changed."

I shrugged. "He does seem more friendly and open to his sister at least."

"True," she said grudgingly.

"You know," I said as we walked away to give them some time alone as Ardin reconsidered. "I do feel like there was a lot more we didn't see. He was sympathetic, but there must've been some other events he saw."

"I agree," she said. "But… well…"

I poked her. "Like I said earlier, you're too kindhearted. You saved him."

"I know, I know," she grumbled.

We went up to the garden up top, around where the place we spent the previous was. We sat near a small fountain at the top. "Lily," I finally decided to ask.

"Yes?"

"Your dream… or nightmare. I know you said it had to be someone you love. And you said you did have someone you liked. Why wouldn't you be able to marry him?"

She seemed to ponder my question for a bit before saying, "Well, it'd be hard work. But we could get married."

"Oh." It was hard for me to think of Lily as a girl that most Espeon males would get along with, since she did seem to be rather free-spirited. "Aren't most Epseon guys rather proper?" I commented.

"Yes," she said. "Most of them are quite boring. And anyways, he was someone who I liked, not anymore though. So even if he asked me to marry him, I'd say no."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. He did betray me in many senses, and it nearly cost me… well, I don't have the mindset to talk about it now."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be," she said, waving it off. "I was meaning to ask you… you seemed awfully embarrassed after your incident."

"Um…" I said, rubbing my neck. "Well… my nightmare involved you getting hurt," I said. "So I was just happy to see you unharmed when I came back to reality."

"Is that so…" she said. "I'm happy to be unharmed, yes," giggled the Espeon. "But… I guess to hear that you were relieved that I was unharmed makes me just as happy." She smiled at me, and like the previous time, I felt warm all over.

"I guess it must have been tough, not have many Pokemon caring for you."

"Caring for me from a personal standpoint, no. But I must say… it's a nice feeling to know someone's worried for me, ehe," she murmured.

"It must've been rough, having your sister trying to kick you out and embarrass you."

"It was," she said with a sigh. "But you know, there's no need to feel sorry for me. This is the most fun I've had in my life." We watched the sun set in the distance now.

I stretched and yawned. "Ah… man we did a lot today."

"I'm surprised we did it all in a day. It felt like so much longer." She yawned too. "I'm gonna sleep well tonight."

"The bed really was comfortable," I agreed. "I'm getting drowsy just thinking about it."

"Excuse me, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

We saw Theo walk up to us. "Lord Ardin asked me to let you know about a banquet in the main hall on ground level. I can escort the two of you if you like."

I glanced at her and she nodded. "Yes, of course. We don't fully know our way around the city so we could get lost easily."

He smiled. "You guys did us all a really great favor, you know. I don't think Ardin would admit it, but we owe you a lot. So anyways, thanks."

Lily nudged me. "Hey, we did this together. Let's go enjoy."

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"I know we saw this in Ardin's dream world, but it's still amazing," said Lily as she leaned over.

There were hundreds hundreds of Jolteons in the hall, all of them laughing and drinking and eating. The two of us sat at a table with the two royal siblings. "How you feeling, Ardin?" asked his sister. "You've got quite the bruise on your head."

"I'll be fine, it's more the internal side that I've gotta worry about," he said, brushing her off and sipping his wine.

"I don't think the wine is helping you," she said in exasperation.

"Shut up," he said, though his voice was warm. "I can take care of myself, I've been doing it this whole time."

I watched in amusement. "You guys were arguing seriously just a day ago. I really wonder what happened."

Ardin crossed his arms. "There's not much else to say," he said. "I thought about everything, saw everything, and… well, no point dwelling on the past."

"My stubborn brother admitting he was wrong." Ardin flicked his hand, launching a tiny little shock at his sister, who glared at him playfully. "I'm glad that you've loosened up though, Ardin. I genuinely am."

"I know." Ardin stood up now, and clapped his hands together. "All right everyone, I'd like to thank all of you for attending this feast tonight. I know we've been busy developing the newest battery system for our entire city and I appreciate all of your work." There was some murmuring in the crowd, and Ardin chuckled. "You know… I've been pretty tight of late, so I just thought I'd give you all the appreciation you deserve for powering us all. Anyways though, as you might have heard, the bird that terrorized the top of the mountain has been disabled by these two here. Lloyd and Lily, please stand."

We did as he said, and some applause came. We both looked down as Ardin himself smiled. "I appreciate what you guys did. I don't think us Jolteons could have done it alone. So thank you both." The clapping got louder, and finally Ardin motioned for us to sit. "Now then, with the formalities out of the way, please enjoy the food!"

Kaira turned to me. "So you two are going to visit Claire next, am I right?"

"Yes," said Lily. "Once Ardin can give us a bit of his blood, we should visit her up North."

Ardin glanced at us. "Visiting Claire to collect for the soul dew, huh." The Jolteon sipped his wine thoughtfully. "So you're going to work your way around the land. I see. Lloyd," he said.

"Yes?"

"Kaira mentioned you're working to free your sister."

I felt a little bad; the thought hadn't passed through my mind in a little while. "Yes."

"So they're making you work with Lily?" I explained everything along with Lily, and he blinked. "A big war huh…"

"Yes. The other princess is trying to seize control this way."

He pondered it before asking me, "And you believe her?"

"Yes."

"You know," he said, leaning back into his chair a bit. "We're more similar than you expect. I questioned my morals a bit. Do I help my sick sister by risking the lives sending Pokemon up the mountain where they could be killed? Do you save your sister at the expense of a big war happening when there's something you can do? The scales are different, but at the same time, it's merely a theory Lily has too." After a pause, he tacked on, "It shows you two really do trust each other in the short amount of time you've known one another. I suppose I am a bit jealous that you two have each other to rely on."

"You have me, don't you? And Theo your best friend, that's why you appointed him head of the guard."

Ardin smiled. "You're right, Kaira. Sorry." He rested his hand on his sister's shoulder before speaking again. "You two are welcome to stay here as long as you like, though I know you've got something you need to do."

"Thank you," said Lily with a dip of her head. "We appreciate it."

He held out his hand. "Pass me the Soul Dew will you?"

"Huh?"

Ardin took it from her, and placed it on the table. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a needle. He pricked his fingertip, and held it over the soul dew. "Right here, is the blood of the royal Jolteons." We watched as it glowed a bit, slightly lighter than before. "And that should be that." He passed it back to her. "Easy."

She looked at it a bit before re-clasping it around her neck. "Have you ever considered talking with Claire again?"

The Jolteon seemed a little taken aback before nodding. "Yes. I have considered talking with her. She's been trying to visit us, but I've been denying it." He sighed. "Perhaps it's time I make up with her at least a bit. Anyways, when do you plan to leave?"

"Probably tomorrow?" I said to Lily.

"Yes, probably tomorrow."

"Ok," said the Jolteon. "I've got a favor to ask of you then. Tomorrow morning, meet me for breakfast in the central open balcony."

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I polished the sword with a cloth. "Sophie, you there?" I asked. She hadn't said much during the battle against the Zapdos.

"Somewhat," she muttered. "I think I overstayed my limit a bit last night. I was sleeping, sorry…"

"It's all right."

"Ahh… well, at least it went well."

Lily was out in the bath. I looked out the window, and could see the steam collecting on the outside a bit. "Why don't you go join her?" murmured Sophie.

"Are you okay? You sound a little weak…"

"I'll be fine," she said. "Just… need something from you…"

"What is it?"

The spirit seemed a little hesitant before finally saying, "Lloyd, remember how I talked about giving something to receive?"

"Yes."

She sighed. "I know you didn't need my power today, thankfully. But… if you ever do need it, I'll need some of your… your blood."

"Blood?"

"Yes," she replied. "That's what I need. I can grant you great power in exchange for… your blood."

"Is something wrong? You sound hesitant."

"It's just that sometimes, a spirit like me can lose control," she said. "But… I'd kill for just a drop or two now."

"Lose control?"

"Yes, in the heat of battle… to properly use a weapon like me, you create a wound to give me a constant flow. But we can also drain it. And…" Her voice trailed off. "I'd like maybe a drop or two. Just drip it onto the blade."

I reopened the small wound I used to activate the blade initially, letting a couple droplets onto it. "Like this."

"Ah. Yes." Her voice already seemed stronger. "Thank you Lloyd."

"So… you're telling me that's what you need to extract your power?"

"It's more of an amplifier of yours really. But I can amplify it more with more blood."

"I see."

She yawned. "Anyways, while I feel a lot better… it seems that it'll take a little while for it to kick in. But now you know."

"Sorry for not realizing it earlier."

She was quiet a bit before replying, "Don't be. Perhaps it's better that I'm restrained like this."

The door opened and Lily walked in, wrapped in a towel. "Oh, Lloyd, who are you talking to?"

"Sophie," I said, putting the sword down. "But she's probably gonna rest now. How was your bath?"

"Great," she said, her damp, pink hair hanging down.

I noticed she didn't have her clothes on. "Uh, where'd you clothes go?"

"I decided to rinse it off again," she said. "I might have to get another outfit for now," she murmured. "Got a little sweatier than I would've liked. And to think I spent last night wrapped in a towel too…"

"Want to come out and look for more clothes?"

"What do you mean? I'm naked here, you know."

I threw her my cloak. "Here, wear this. You've at least got extra underwear and that right?"

"Thankfully…"

"Well come on then, we might as well explore the city a bit tonight. Sun's only just set." I grabbed my coin pack. "If we're going to leave tomorrow, we should do some touring."

"That sounds fun… all right. I really do need to shop."

"Thankfully all eight regions use the same currency at the least." I put my small pack over my shoulder. "I wonder if the Jolteons here will be surprised to see us," I asked myself.

"Maybe," replied Lily, catching me off a bit that she had heard me. "I wonder how many Pokemon he told…"

"Well, I think that Ardin would've mentioned staying inside."

"True," she said. "All right, let's go out."

The air was a little chillier than I expected. "You okay Lily?" I asked as I closed the door behind us.

"It's pretty cold, yeah," she said. "Let's go quickly and get some clothes."

As we took the elevators down, we could see lots of lights in the city below. "This city is so modern," I commented.

"They really are probably the most advanced from a tech standpoint. I know the Vaporeons are developing some motors that use pressurized water and steam, and us Espeons work with them for development as well. This whole city is quite amazing."

The Jolteon operating our cart watched in amusement. "I never thought I'd see the day when an Espeon and Umbreon casually flirt."

"Flirt…?" I said before realizing what he meant.

"Eh?" said Lily. "Hey we-"

"Welp, we're at the bottom," he said, gently nudging us out before riding back to the top.

"Why…" A gust came through, and Lily gripped the cloak around her. "Cheeky Jolteon," she huffed.

I walked ahead of her. "Better hold onto that cloak tight, you know."

"Obviously," she muttered under her breath. "Do you even know where we're headed?"

"Not really," I admitted. "But we should find the way once we get to the ground level."

"Lloyd, Lily." We recognized Theo's voice. He bowed a bit as he saw us. "I didn't expect to see the two of you out here at this time."

I looked at where the sun had set a little while ago. "Is it that late?"

"No," he conceded. "Well, if you're here to do some touring, I can direct you."

"Lily's looking to shop for clothes. Know where we can go?"

"Of course, I can guide you to the local tailor. And then after that, I know a great bar to go. If you're into that, of course."

"I don't drink," I said.

"Well… it might be cool to check out," said Lily. "Okay, we'll keep that in mind. Thanks Theo."

"Of course."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"These clothes are quite comfy," said Lily, stretching her arms above her head. We had just gone to the tailor, and they had gotten her some clothes similar to the ones she had earlier.

"It's a little more covered," I added.

"Yes. A few of the Jolteons were kind of staring… I guess they're more conservative than us."

I looked at her, and said, "Still with the exposed navel and back, huh?"

"It's a tradition," she said, though she covered her self a bit. "The skirt's a little longer too. And the night gown is really comfortable.

"The skin is barely longer. And the nightgown is pretty sheer too."

"Hmph. Do you want to go check out that place Theo suggested?"

"I don't know, should we really be drinking? I know there's not like rules or anything, but it's not good for you to do it a lot."

"Huh? I don't drink either," she said. "I just wanted to see how it'd look."

"That's right, you've never been to a bar or anything, have you?" It was natural to be curious, I realized. "Well… most bars for us Umbreons are kind of a mess. Lots of soldiers hitting on girls… in fact the day I met you, I was helping Tia escape from some of them."

"Oh, really? That must be scary if you're alone."

"Yes, I never let Tia go on her own. But then again, maybe the Jolteons are different."

We walked into the bar, which was buzzing with energy, literally. Jolteons walked around, with sparks flying and chatter all around. There were some seats that looked as if they were charged even.

"Ah, some outsiders. Don't worry, we heard from Ardin," said one of the Jolteons by the door. "But I wouldn't recommend you sit on the white chairs. They're electrically charged which makes us Jolteons feel nice, but it'd probably electrocute you two."

"Thanks for the…" He was already walking away as I was about to thank him. I turned to Lily. "So the black seats…"

We sat at the bar itself on the black seats, watching as some Jolteons danced in the center and others laughed over drinks. "This place is quite lively," said Lily. "Are your bars back home like this?"

I thought about it. "Yes. Maybe without the electricity."

"Really… it seems quite fun."

"Does it? Well, it is nice. But normally me and Tia just enjoy drinks and talk about the day."

"Well," she smiled. "Let's do that. I say we each get a drink and unwind. It was a rough one."

"I thought we were going to sleep…" I remarked.

"Well, maybe we only stay here an hour."

"All right, let's drink."

We both ordered some spiked juices, and looked at them. "These look good," I said.

"Mhmm." Lily sipped hers. "I drank a few times back home. I normally handled it pretty well at least."

I drank mine in a gulp before wiping my mouth. "Ah… well, I haven't drank in awhile…"

She looked at her cup before doing the same. "Do all Umbreons drink like that?"

"I don't know," I said. "I normally don't."

"Huh." We sat there, enjoying the buzz for a bit. Finally, she said, "I'm actually a little sleepy…"

"Want to go back already?"

"Yeah," she murmured.

I huffed. "You liar, you clearly look out of it. Someone can't handle their alcohol. Come on now."

She went with me as I led her out. "Sorry," she said. "I got a headache."

"That wasn't that strong, was it? Sheesh, you Espeons must drink water as your alcohol."

Lily didn't reply as we walked back. At least she was able to walk on her own power, but it was slow. "I'm sorry," she whimpered pitifully.

With a sigh, I said, "As long as you're still here mentally, it'll be fine. Ironic that a psychic type of all…"

"I'm fine mentally, my head just hurts."

I patted her on the back. "Don't you collapse on me. You can sleep all you want once we get back."

"Okay."

I smiled a bit as we took the elevator back up. Theo was operating them again in amusement. "She doesn't look so good."

"Drank too much."

"Ah."

When we finally arrived back, Lily collapsed onto the bed. I filled a glass of water for her. "Here, drink some water."

I lifted her head up a bit, and she looked up at me. "I don't want to…"

"Come on now, you gotta rinse out your system," I said gently. "You're like a little kid." I was really surprised at how helpless she looked. Most of the time, she seemed… well, definitely not this helpless.

"Fine…" She sat up, and drank the water, dripping a little onto herself.

"Hey, what are you doing? You're spilling."

"Sorry…" Her newly bought clothes were wet now, and I had to look away.

"Idiot," I murmured. "You got your new clothes soaked. I thought part of the reason we went shopping was to get you something to sleep in."

"I've still got the night gown," she said, though it sounded as if she was falling asleep right there.

"You'll get sick," I said, tossing her the night gown. "Go to the bathroom and change."

"No…" she whimpered.

I sighed. "What am I going to do…"

"I'll change here…"

I was going to argue, then I decided to just look away. She clearly wasn't fully here mentally. I could hear the sound of her changing; I did feel bad that I was slightly tempted to look. She probably wouldn't think much of it in her current state.

After a longer time than it should've been, the noise finally stopped, and I turned around. "All…" I stopped as she was under the sheets, apparently asleep. I sighed. "Sheesh." I changed my own clothes before slipping under the sheets next to her. "Night, Lily," I murmured.

To my surprise, she responded, though weakly, with, "You too, Lloyd."

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My dream that night was unusual, but didn't have the ominous vibe of the previous one in the mist. Perhaps visiting the nightmare zone had affected it. That was all I really remembered.

I was woken midway through the night by Lily. I heard her murmur something in her sleep. I rolled over to look at her. "Please… help…" Her face didn't look pained at all, though her delicate lips moved slightly as she spoke. "It's… I can't lose… no…"

I wondered what she was dreaming of. "Lily?" I asked, but she didn't wake.

"I'll… I'll…" Then she reached her arms out suddenly. I was caught off guard as she grabbed onto me. "Please…"

She was grabbing me so tightly it almost hurt, and pulled the two of us together. Then suddenly, her grip went limp and she was silent again. I could feel the warmth emanating off of her, and could sense her body move slightly as she breathed.

I gently pushed her arms off me, and her eyes shot open. "Lloyd!"

"Uh, you kinda latched onto me in your sleep."

"Oh… I'm sorry…" she murmured. She didn't seem embarrassed at all, just a little dazed.

"Hey, are you all right? You looked as if you were having a rough dream."

"I was," she said. "I probably tried grabbing onto you because in my dream, I was fighting, and I had to grab onto… well, I guess you get it."

I smiled. "It's okay, Lily. How do you feel?"

"A little better," she yawned. "I really was pretty out of it, wasn't I?"

"Yeah, you literally collapsed onto the bed."

"Sorry about that too…"

"I don't mind, Lily. You'd do the same, wouldn't you?"

"Yes. Though I'm probably not able to physically drag you out of a bar."

"You got out on your own power, though," I pointed out.

"Did I? It's pretty hazy." She stretched a bit. "Ah… this night gown is so comfy to sleep in."

"Better than naked?"

"S-shut up… jeez, good thing I didn't grab onto you last night."

"Well, more embarrassing for you than me."

"You wouldn't be slightly uncomfortable with a cute girl hugging you naked?" She grinned a bit.

I huffed. "I'd tell you to get some clothes on. I've seen Tia without clothes more than I'd like."

Lily laughed. "You know, marrying her wouldn't be out of the question. She's quite attractive for an Umbreon isn't she?"

"Yeah, if she wasn't my damn sister."

She giggled. "I know, you told me already. But I bet you've got really high expectations for the kind of girl you want."

"Well… if she's cute and good deep down, that's good enough for me."

She looked at me a bit, then said, "Cute huh…"

I stared at her a bit. "You know… uh…"

"What?" She looked at me curiously. "Is there something wrong?"

"Just… you know… sleeping next to you. It's very relaxing. I mean in some senses I enjoy the company, but you know, it's easy for me to forget that you're still a girl almost the same age as me." I looked away. "I just kind of remembered that, looking at you now."

She thought about it for a bit. "It makes you wonder how different our relationship would be if we were both the same Eeveelution. Would we be this comfortable?"

"It… it shouldn't make a difference really," I pointed out. "Ardin was set to marry the Glaceon princess. I mean, our ancestors were supposed to marry as well. It's just… pointless."

"Mhmm. It really is." She pulled her tail up between us. "Here Lloyd. Grab on of the tips."

"Huh?"

"Come on, just do it." I pulled my hand from the side, and grabbed on of the tips of her pronged, pink tail. As I did that, thy both seemed to wrap around my hand. She smiled, closing her eyes. "Espeon kids always do this, but it's something you only let someone you trust with all your heart touch. It's quite sensitive, so you don't have others grabbing it often."

"What does it mean?"

"It's a sign that we will look after each other, no matter what. It shows trust and care."

I gripped it tighter, and she blushed a bit. "Hey, I thought I just told you it's sensitive."

"Sorry. But… yes, if you're willing to say that… then I can agree. We'll help each other out. I swear by it."

"I swear as well. By the hair on my tail." She grabbed the other prong briefly before saying, "I will come for you if you ever need my help, Lloyd. I promise you this."

"Yes. I promise to come help you."

She pulled her tail back under the sheets, and said, "Well, let's sleep now." She rolled over so I couldn't see her face.

I nodded a bit to myself. "Tomorrow, we're going to start heading North. I wonder how she is. The Glaceon princess."

"Some say she's very kind and beautiful. Others say she is powerful and determined, who enjoys fighting strong Pokemon to help her better defend her Pokemon. But I know that she's a ruler that cherishes the lives of her people above all else, which is why she decided to withdraw from the war effort."

"A peace loving ruler who fights for her citizens. Surely, she'll help us."

"I hope so…"

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"I still don't know how big it is. The orb."

Two Pokemon were deep within a cave. One of them held a lantern while the other looked at a map. "It should be a relic here… deep under the ground. We're looking for an altar."

"An altar huh… oh? Look. Stairs!" The Pokemon with the lantern pointed out in front. "It must be close!"

They quickly walked forwards, down the stairs. "There's a light," pointed out the one with the map. "That has to be it! That warm, red glow." The voice of this one was female, while the lantern wielder's was male.

They emerged into a small cavern. Resting upon a golden alter was the bright red orb. "It really is quite aptly named, I must say. Red Orb."

As they got closer, they felt the warmth within it. "My… it really is hot. It feels as if I'd burn up if I directly touched it… and we're both fire types!"

The other Flareon sighed. "Remember what Lord Valen said, don't come into direct contact with it or it will attempt to consume you."

Both of the them looked at each other nervously. "You can almost feel its consuming heat…"

The girl reached into a bag, and pulled out a large cloth. "Okay, I'll grab it with this."

"Be careful," said the other Flareon. "Toss it on first to make sure it doesn't burn up."

She did as he said, and the cloth stayed over it, though the light still shone through. "Amazing to think only a royal could wield this power without going insane," she commented as she put it into her bag. "Why do you think he wants it?"

"He mentioned something about a war and the Vaporeons. If you recall, there's an old legend that two legendary Pokemon's souls were stored within a pair of stones. The rumor is this is one of them, and the Vaporeons have its counterpart."

The female pondered the question. "The power we felt though… perhaps it's not a myth."

"I agree. But if there's a war coming… well, our lord feels it's necessary. Let's get this orb back to hi-"

The entire cave began to rumble. "A-an earthquake?" she yelped.

"Shit, let's go," hissed the other Pokemon, grabbing her hand.

They both ran through the cave. "It's… we're very far under! We're not going to make it!"

"No, we have to!"

And miraculously, they did. Somehow, once they came out, the cave collapsed, and they both turned around gasping for air. "We made it…" After catching their breath, they both stood up. The girl pulled out the orb, covered in cloth. "The Red Orb…"

"What did he say again? I don't remember too well."

"He heard from the Espeons that the Vaporeons are preparing to attack. And only the power of this could defend us."

"The Vaporeons have always been fairly neutral, haven't they?"

"I don't know. That's just what Valen told us."

The two of them both huffed in sync. "Well, let's get going," said the male.

As they left the scene, the girl looked back. "You really do feel as if something big is coming…"

 **End Ch.5**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"You two are late," said Ardin irritably. "Jeez, I thought I told you that we're meeting up for breakfast."

"Sorry…" I looked at Lily, who still seemed a little out of it. "She had a little too much to drink last night."

Lily nodded. "I'm sorry, Ardin…"

He stared at her, then laughed a bit. "I guess I know why you guys turned down my drinks. Come on, let's eat."

We sat down at the table. "So, you said you had a favor?" I drank some water from a glass.

"Yes. I've got a letter…" He reached to his side and pulled out an envelope. "This is for Claire, the ruler of the Glaceons, as you might know."

"A letter. What does it contain?"

"Confidential stuff," he said, but then added, "It's… well, it's a letter to Claire personally."

"It's mostly agreements between us, but also… personally," repeated Kaira.

"Shush you," said Ardin. "Let's eat now." They brought some pastries in berry syrup.

"This looks tasty!" said Lily, before she began eating.

"Kaira wanted to make it for you guys as thanks."

"Thank you, Kaira," I said. "It's quite good," I said after chewing.

"Mhmm," agreed Lily. "Tart and sweet."

She dipped her head in thanks. "I appreciate it. Please feel free to take some with you to visit Claire as well. She and I were good friends."

"Will it last that long?"

"They last awhile," said Ardin with a smirk. "I don't know how she does it, but these pastries can last up to a week easily. A little gross if you ask me anyways."

"Shut up," she grumbled. "Anyways, we've got some warmer clothes for the both of you on your journey up. I'd recommend that you visit the lower palace first. Sometimes, Claire and the rest of her council wait there. I know she was planning a visit here soon, so I wouldn't be surprised if she happened to be waiting there."

"Okay, is it along the main ridge still?"

"Yes, there's a path that the merchants crazy enough to attempt the trek would use. Given the tensions of late, nobody should really be on it, but hopefully the Glaceons haven't just let it become totally covered with snow," thought Lily aloud.

"But even then, that's still a few days trek just to reach the base of the mountains. Eltron is one of the southernmost populations, and you'll need to go through our lands just to reach the start of the mountains."

"Will anyone attack us?" I asked.

"I don't think so," said Ardin. "If you show anyone this letter, they should understand. The envelope itself is exclusive to only our royal family."

I watched as Lily took a sip of water before asking, "What are you going to do, Ardin?"

"Huh?"

"Are you just going to stay here?"

"Of course. I can't ditch my duties. Besides…" He glanced at Theo, who was watching from a nearby pillar. "Our guard had recently caught notice of some shady Pokemon around our lands."

"Huh?"

"We don't know much," explained Theo. "He was always more covered than even you Lloyd, which is how we knew it wasn't you. With your cloak and all."

"Do you know what kind of Pokemon he was?"

"We don't know. Whoever he or she was, their tail was hidden, and they were quite nimble." Theo sighed. "Our guard is no slouch, but we still don't know what their objective is."

"That's concerning."

"Indeed. They would jump off whenever we'd try confront them. But there have been no reports of attacks or theft related to the mysterious Pokemon at any rate. In any case though, it's best I wait here."

"You would consider leaving?" asked Kaira.

"I would deliver the letter in person to Claire if I could. As such, I'm going to entrust it to you two. You have a map, right?"

"Yes," I replied, thinking about my book. "I do."

We ate a bit in silence before Ardin cleared his throat. "You know, I really meant what I said earlier. If you ever need anything, I'll gladly help you two out. So please don't hesitate to visit or send a message somehow if you need to."

"We'll hold you to that," said Lily.

"I expect you both to." Ardin wiped his mouth. "Probably going to sound like I'm trying to be symbolic and deep here, but I think that you two can really help us all out. It's rather inspiring that you two, who were originally enemies at birth, are now working together to achieve something bigger."

"You think?"

"Absolutely. It seems that-" Suddenly, the entire ground began to shake a little. We all braced ourselves.

"An earthquake?" said Kaira. "It's…" It died off as quickly as it had come. "It's done," she finished. "Where did that come from?" she said, standing up. "Theo, have a report yet?"

"Yes, appears it came from the region of the Flareons…"

"The Flareons," said Ardin. "I've got a bad feeling about that… as you know, their ruler is quite aggressive. I know we're allied with them, but I hope they're not planning for war."

Me and Lily exchanged glances. "If your sister really is planning something as crazy as what you said, we don't have much time."

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We stood just outside the gate to the city, though this one was opposite of where we entered. Ardin, Kaira, and Theo stood near us. "I guess this is goodbye for now, Lloyd. Thank you for everything… for helping me realize my mistakes, and aiding us in disabling Zapdos." He held out a hand, and I shook it. "I get the feeling… I'm going to be seeing you again. A lot sooner than I'd hope to."

He held out a hand to Lily next, but she held out her arms. "Come on, you can hug me." He hugged her, then said something to her that I couldn't make out. "What?" she asked, glaring at him, but he just laughed.

"You know what I said."

Next came Theo. He bowed his head to both of us. "You take care of each other now. And don't drink too much Lily."

"Hey…"

Finally, Kaira hugged me. "Watch over Lily, okay?" she said. "I know you will." Her blonde hair blew into my face, before she smiled as she let go. "I recall Ardin said he was jealous of you two, but I am as well. You both get along so well."

She hugged Lily. "I hope you and Lloyd succeed. Next time we meet, you'll have to tell me all about your adventures."

"Of course," said Lily.

Lily and I waved at them. "We'll see you around then," I said.

"Of course."

We looked ahead. The path wound around the bases of some large hills. "Ready?" I asked Lily.

"Yes. Let's go."

We turned around one last time, but the three Jolteons were already walking away. "You think that mysterious Pokemon is dangerous?" I asked.

"I hope not. But they're capable. I think they'll be fine."

"They should be. What do you think Ardin meant about the Flareons?"

Lily seemed to think as we walked. "Well… I do recall reading something about a Pokemon named Groudon. Does that name ring a bell?"

"Yes it does. Long ago, Groudon fought Kyogre I believe."

She nodded. "It's said that their battle created this land. But after much destruction, our creator Arceus locked them away in two orbs; the red and blue orbs respectively."

"And they were entrusted to the royal families of the Flareons and Vaporeons, as the royal weapons."

"Yes. Only in times of great need have they been brought out. After the last great war between our sides, both were locked away. The Flareons hid theirs in a cave deep within a volcanic region that only a Flareon would dare enter. And the Vaporeons hid theirs in a complex cave that is rumored to go on forever."

"Well it obviously can't go on forever, can it?"

"Of course it can't, but one would need to be crazy to search for those orbs. Perhaps someone grabbing the red orb is what triggered that earthquake. After all, Groudon is the land spirit."

"That's bad if they really did get their hands on something like that."

"Oh yes, it's terrible. Our capital was massively damaged when the wielder of the blue orb defended us from the wielder of the red orb in the great war. There are written accounts of it and they're terrifying." We walked in silence.

Finally, I decided to ask, "Lord Valen… he's the ruler of the Flareons. He's a very aggressive leader. Do you think he'd be crazy enough to start a war though?"

"I don't know. The Vaporeons wouldn't start a war, I'm not even sure they have a clear cut ruler. But if the Flareons do choose to start a war, whether on behalf of the Umbreons or themselves, only the wielder of the blue orb could stop them." She sighed. "I'm not sure the Vaporeons even care enough to stop that. They have a chain of islands that they can escape to if worst comes to worst. Much like the Glaceons and Flareons, their region is too difficult to mount an attack against, so they can isolate themselves defensively if need be."

I thought about the book. "My book, _The Eight_ , did have a lot of information on the two orbs actually. And the Vaporeons, well, they are quite advanced aren't they?"

"They're advanced in a… hmm, how would I put it? I've hear that they live simply, but have tools to enhance their lives and rely on water power. They're non-militaristic as well, thankfully."

"Thankfully? Aren't they on your guys' side?"

"Not really. They stayed out of the war aside from stopping the red orb wielder. And with the Glaceons seemingly cutting ties with us Espeons, my sister will only have the support of two armies if she chooses to wage war." She clenched her fist. "I'll have to stop my sister no matter what."

"Do you think we'll be able to avoid them? We already have your royal blood, so there's no need to pass through your land."

"Well," she sighed. "The Sylveons are great friends of ours. Getting the blood of a royal Sylveon is what I'm most scared about. There's no doubt that if they saw me that they'd take me in, and you're not exactly inconspicuous either."

I shrugged. "No point worrying. If we're going to do this, then let's focus on quickly meeting Princess Claire."

"You're right, Lloyd. One step at a time," she breathed. "At any rate… we must find a way." Lily held up a fist. "We have to. And I believe that if we work hard enough, we can."

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"I don't smell, do I Lloyd?"

"No, you smell fine," I replied in exasperation. "We can't do anything if there's nowhere to wash. At least I've got some water for us to drink." I looked up at the stars in the sky. We sat around a small fire similar to a few nights ago. "Such a pretty sky though. Can see the moon and the stars."

"It really is." We both stared up. I sipped from a metal cup filled with heated water. "Ah… after all the stuff we had to do the past few days, it's nice to be able to relax alone."

"Alone? Lloyd, I'm here with you, you know."

"Well, you know what I meant. We've spent awhile together just the two of us, and I'm almost used to your company."

"Is that so…"

I nodded. "Yes. I feel as if I've known you for years, though that's obviously not the case."

"Where's Sophie? Is she going to come out tonight?" asked Lily, stretching now.

I heard a voice grumble, and replied, "Doesn't seem like it. I gave her some blood earlier, and she mentioned just storing it." Frowning, I asked, "Doesn't your staff's spirit communicate?"

"Well… he's… hmm, he's not like Sophie to say the least. He doesn't like coming out ever. But I've seen him in dreams much like you, I imagine."

"Yes." I thought about Sophie. "She seems a lot closer to… well, a Pokemon like us at times. But when I first met her, she didn't seem happy. She seemed so grateful to see me, but also… I don't know. Fearful… and sad. She warned me about the soul dew."

"Warned you?"

"Yes. The previous owner of the sword, Prince Terren… he apparently sought it as well."

"Really? This is news to me."

"She knows what happened to Terren after the books stop," I explained. "But… well, she's not exactly comfortable talking about it anyways."

I passed the cup to Lily, who paused a bit before shaking her head and taking a gulp. "Two bowls but only one cup, what were you thinking, Lloyd?"

"Sorry, hope you don't think off my saliva as gross."

"Not at all." She wiped her mouth with her hand before passing it back to me. "It is already a little cooler here than in the city," commented the Espeon.

"It sure is. The hot water tastes good."

We listened to the crackle of the flames. "Do you think the two of them actually loved each other?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Huh?" I sat up a bit. "Terren and Julie?"

She nodded, and I pondered her question. "Of course, it's probably difficult to compare since times were different. And while the Espeons and Umbreons were never allies, things were probably less tense than now. There were quite a few couples between our species."

"We probably would've looked like one," I joked.

"Yeah." Lily played with her pink hair a bit. I looked at her. She looked very cute doing that. "Hey, you're looking at me funny. Is there something in my hair?"

"No, sorry," I replied. "That thing you do with your hair is something Tia does sometimes."

Lily looked at her hair. "Huh? I thought it was common to do this… though your sister's her is a lot longer than my own." Sighing, she said, "It feels a little slimy…"

"It still looks okay, don't worry," I reassured her.

"But back to my question… Terren and Julie. There's not a lot on their relationship."

It was too dark to read, but I remembered what there was. "I seem to recall they got along well, at the least. So they didn't completely hate each other."

"But you don't think they liked each other a bit?"

"I mean… I would ask Sophie, but she's resting. But like I mentioned, I don't know if she's ready to talk about it anyways." Biting my lip, I added, "I wonder what happened really… she even mentioned you remind her of Julie."

"Well, I'm apparently her descendant. It'd make sense I resemble her a bit. I recall her saying that Julie and herself didn't get along." She sighed. "I wonder if she dislikes me…"

I shook my head. "She was very friendly to you. I don't think that Sophie would hold a grudge."

"You know though… the spirits within many of our weapons are rumored to be spirits with unfinished business. If that is true… I really wonder why a girl like Sophie would be here." We both looked at the blade. "I really want to do some research… Sophie… it rings a bell, but I can't place it. If only I could visit the imperial library."

"Jeez, I can't leave you two alone, can I? Sophie this, Sophie that… argh…" In an instant, Sophie was sitting next to me. "If you keep saying my name, I'll wake up eventually. So, what do you want?"

"Please… I know you were uncertain, but can you tell us… what was your relationship with Julie and Terren was?" begged Lily.

"Eh?" Sophie sighed. "Well… I don't know why you're so desperate, but… all right. I- oh, is that hot cider?"

"No, just… ah…" She had already picked up the metal cup and drank from it.

"Water, how disappointing." She put it back down and crossed her legs. "Anyways… you wanted to know about the two of them, yes?"

I nodded, as did Lily. "I guess it wasn't an emergency, but we'd like to know a bit considering that's what we're looking to clear up."

"All right, I can tell you a little bit in that case." Sophie crossed her arms, then looked up a bit as she began to speak. "Terren… he was my master. As one of the royal weapons, I was bound to serve him. Terren was quite similar to you Lloyd. While he was more outspoken than you, he shared the same righteousness. But appearance wise… well, I almost mistook you for him when I first contacted you. The same aura and feel, granted I don't think you're near his power, no offense intended. Terren was a prodigy with the sword, mixing a never-before seen defensive style with stealth based offense. He was perhaps the most famous Umbreon with his skills."

"Did you two get along?" asked Lily.

"Of course. Weapon spirits like me can greatly enhance the power of one we choose, but Terren's creativeness and natural power made the most of my abilities. We understood each other. And as you may have read, we were a light. We travelled around, helping other nations before the plan was for him to get married." Nudging me, she added, "He also made sure to provide me lots of blood to keep my power up."

"Hey, I offered…"

"I know you did." She leaned back. "But I can't indulge myself like that. I might go a little overboard. More power to me, but it could eventually kill you. And that's about all I have to say about him at the moment."

"Is there more?" questioned Lily, to which Sophie replied with a snort.

"There's more of course. But… well, one way or another, I imagine you'll hear about it."

"S-sorry," said Lily, seeming embarrassed. "What about Julie?"

"We didn't get along," sighed Sophie. "Julie was your stereotypical loving princess. Ms. Perfect, flowery, affectionate, helpful. Perhaps that's why I didn't like her." Under her breath, she said something else, though I couldn't make it out. "But Julie… well, she wasn't a bad Pokemon either. In fact, the dislike she had for me was warranted." Sophie hung her head a bit. "It was my fault more than anything." The female Umbreon grabbed the cup and drank from it. "You two… I'm sorry I can't tell you more. But I guarantee that it'd throw a wrench in between the three of us if I told you everything, when it shouldn't. That is why I cannot tell you everything yet."

Me and Lily looked at each other. "Is… is the stuff you're hiding from us… a threat?"

After a pause, the Umbreon said, "No. It's not. But… well, you wouldn't look at me the same way, provided Lloyd doesn't just discard me." She bowed her head down. "Please forgive me, once the time is right, I'll tell you both everything. I promise."

I smiled at her. "All right, no rush. You've helped us out a lot already."

She looked up at me, then sighed. "Jeez, you really are like him."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

 _"Terren. Are you sure… you want to go through with this?"_

 _"Yes. I'm sure. This punishment is necessary for me."_

 _"Hmph, I won't stop you."_

 _The voice laughed. "Coming from one of the few Pokemon that could, that's reassuring. I appreciate it, Raydon. And about the-"_

 _"I know, I'll begin once I get back."_

 _There was a shuffling of metal. "Raydon, can you take care of Sophie for me? I'm sorry to ask you for all these favors."_

 _"You asked me before, I said I'd do it. I'll make sure she gets to him."_

 _"Thank you."_

"Out," grumbled Sophie's voice.

I was dragged out of the darkness, where I could hear the two voices. Me and Sophie were sitting in what looked to be a small house. A fireplace burned at one side of the room. "Huh?"

"This is a dream, of course," she muttered. "You saw some of my thoughts…"

"Terren… I could hear him."

She was quiet for a bit before saying, "What did you see?"

"I couldn't see anything… I just heard him talking with someone named Raydon."

"Really…" She huffed. "I suppose that's one thing about our partnership, you can see a bit into my memories. But if that's all you heard…"

"Sophie, what happened with Terren? He mentioned giving you to 'him'. Who is that?"

"His son of course," she finally said after some careful thought.

"His son? So he did have a kid…"

She blinked before laughing. "Jeez, how else do you think you'd be able to wield me? If he didn't have a child, you wouldn't be here."

"I know," I said, feeling stupid. "But… I guess just to hear it…"

"I understand," she said. I felt her black tail rest on my shoulder. "Listen Lloyd, I must confess… this whole war, this tension… it was partially my fault. Mine and Terren's."

I listened quietly. "I'm not going question you," I finally resolved. "But it's not dangerous towards Lily is it?"

"No, I promise you, I will never harm you or Lily intentionally. By using me, yes, you put yourself at risk that way. But I'm obligated to protect you both, even if it destroys me."

"Sophie… it's said that you're spirits of vengeance. You have unfinished business. Is this true?"

"Yes. Vengeance isn't the right word though. But those of use stored in the six weapons… we do have things we wish, or wished to achieve. After meeting Terren… my thoughts changed." She let out a thoughtful exhale.

"He must've really been amazing," I said. "You get this look in your eyes when you talk about him."

"He was a special Pokemon," she said. "But you're special too. You and Lily share a bond that makes me happy to see. Reminds me of… someone I held dear to me. It's clear you think of Lily as someone special."

"I-"

"I still want you to be careful Lloyd, even if you trust her. I don't think she would hurt you… but there's still a lot we don't know."

"Lily… she's a good Pokemon. She's helped us."

"I know," said Sophie gently. "But the last thing I was is for you to be burned."

I patted her on the shoulder. "I appreciate the thought."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

 _Glaceons are masters of long-ranged combat. They specialize in archery, summoning arrows of frozen water and launching them from a distance. Distance and accuracy is their greatest strength._

I put down the book a bit to look at Lily, who was collecting some potatoes along the side of the road. It was midday, and we were taking a little rest after walking about 3 hours straight since we woke. "How's it going?" I called to her.

"Uh, I think I'm doing it right."

I sighed, then pulled myself to my feet. "Here, I'll check." I walked over to look. "Ah… you… uh…"

"Sorry," she said, scratching her arm.

I laughed a bit. "Okay, it takes talent to fail to get a potato out of the ground." I reached down. "Grab by the base, not the top. And slowly do it to loosen the soil rather than at once." I held up the stalk, with the potato dangling. "See?"

"Oh, I got it. Yes, just…"

She had snapped the stalk again. "No you don't," I teased. "Come on, I won't let you go until you."

"I'll do it!"

"Slower, Lily." I heard an unfamiliar voice and turned around. A male Espeon stood behind us. "Do as he said." He nodded to me.

"Oh, uh…" I said, unsure.

"Oh, you actually came out, Morgan. That's surprising."

"You were totally butchering that," he huffed. "Listen closer. Reach at the base of the plant and twist slowly."

"Aha! I got it!"

The Espeon facepalmed. "Sheesh…"

I turned to the lean Espeon. He was a decent amount smaller built than me, and wore a proper looking, long cloak. "Morgan was it? I think this is the first time we've met in person."

"Indeed it is, Lloyd. I'd like to thank you for always looking out for Princess Lily. There's no saying what would've happened if you hadn't been there for us." He bowed down, before standing up straight again. "If there is anything you would like to know, please feel free to ask me whenever."

"Lily…" She was focused on pulling out the potatoes now. "Was she always like this?"

"No," he said. "We first met… by her activating me. You could call it fate, but she summoned me. Once that happened, the family who was watching over the throne until they found an actual descendant immediately did their best to cover it up, or they knew they would be ousted. Princess Lily… well, she was taken away from her quiet and peaceful life and became quite depressed. She wouldn't talk, and eventually, she asked to return home, with the promise that she wouldn't speak of her true lineage. Of course, before she left, she overheard their plans to throw the world into war, and they had to eliminate her before she spread word. But…" He looked into the distance. "To answer your question, no, she wasn't always this carefree. I believe that being with you truly is making her happy." Morgan smiled a bit. "And her being happy is enough for me. She deserves to be happy more than anyone."

"Look, I got it!" Lily held up the potato she had been working on. "See Lloyd, I'm not that useless."

I blinked, then smiled. "Okay, good job." I walked over and helped pick up the ones we had pulled.

"What were you and Lloyd talking about?" she asked Morgan.

"I was merely explaining some things to him," he said politely. "Well done, my lady. Getting out those potatoes."

"I can't tell if you're sarcastic. Anyways, why did you choose to come out?"

"I wanted to help you with that potato problem, and chat with Lloyd a bit." He patted her on the head, and she glared at him.

"Hey…"

"Oh? What is it? You didn't seem to mind when Lloyd touched you."

She stiffened, then said, "I was drunk when that happened. I wasn't there mentally."

"Excuses, excuses," he grumbled. "Lloyd, do you think you can call up Sophie for me?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, she might be sleeping…"

The male Espeon pulled the sword from the sheathe, then said, "Princess Sophie, you there?" He tapped on the hilt, then suddenly, a burst of darkness erupted from it. Standing behind the Espeon was Sophie.

"Hmph, what is it, staff spirit?"

"Well it is you, Princess Sophie, the Black Beacon. I never would've expected to actually meet you again. But here we are, trying to deliver our masters to the final goal."

"… Morgan was it? Do I know you?"

The Espeon seemed surprised, then shook his head. "You don't it seems. Forgive me."

"Black Beacon?" me and Lily said at the same time. "What does that mean?" I asked.

"… Don't call me that," she said. "We failed, no, we betrayed everyone. That name was what the team of Terren and myself was called. We were supposed to be the light that united everyone. So don't you call me that."

"Ah, touchy subject still? Very well, forgive me, princess."

"Hmph." Sophie huffed. "I'm sorry for being rude… but-"

"I understand."

"I'm going back to sleep," muttered Sophie, slowly dissipating away.

Morgan turned to Lily. "I'll do the same. It was nice talking to you Lloyd."

"Y-yeah." He slipped away too.

Lily wiped some sweat from her brow. "It is pretty hot."

"There's a river over that hill if I'm reading the map correctly," I told her. "I know you were feeling pretty dirty."

"Hmm… I could go. But I don't know, it seems rather quiet. We haven't seen any Jolteons at all."

"Well, they are all centered around the capitol. They don't do much farming despite having large amounts of land. That said… it is rather remote. This is a pretty well-travelled path too, according to Ardin."

"I'll go wash, can you keep an eye out for me?"

"Yeah, I'll do that. Don't worry."

"Thanks Lloyd." As she began walking, suddenly, the ground began to shake again. "Another quake?!"

"Careful…" It died away moments later. "I… I wonder if that was related to the Flareons as well."

"They have always been very militaristic. Come to think of it… aside from the Leafeons, all the regions that sided with the Umbreons were highly war-oriented."

"Yes. Well, the Glaceons were formerly a militaristic threat. But nowadays, they're not too interested. And the Vaporeons have always been uninterested in actually joining the war, aside from support and stopping the Red Orb's spirit." Hesitating a bit, she added, "I really wonder if someone had actually won the war if things would be better."

"Perhaps," I replied. "But it is what it is."

"Yes, you're right. I'll-"

I suddenly heard an urgent voice in my head. _"Lloyd, careful! Someone's coming from your Southeast direction!"_

I spun around. "Lily, something is coming!"

"What?"

"Sophie told me just now. She sensed it."

I was able to grab my pack and we quickly headed over the hill to the river. Once we got to the high point, we peered over, using the cover of a bush. We saw a Leafeon walk over. "Hmm… you said that you could sense not one, but two royal weapons?" It seemed as if she was talking to herself, but then I noticed she held a spear adorned with emeralds.

"That's…" I whispered, glancing at Lily.

She nodded. "A royal weapon as well… but what's she doing here… and it seems…"

The Leafeon wore a light green dress, and her similar colored hair fluttered in the wind. She knelt down. "Hmm… there's a river nearby… but if they did sense me like you said… they wouldn't try go to the river to hide." She stood up. "Okay, let's go. They're not our main target anyways. You picked up any trace on the other weapons?" There was a pause, and she huffed. "So be it. I guess we'll try head into Eltron City." She turned around, and walked along the path.

After we were sure she had gone, we stood up. "A Leafeon… it seemed as if she was searching. But how did she know-"

"Royal weapons can sense one another when we take physical form," said Sophie in my head. "I'd imagine Morgan and myself doing that was literally a 'Hey look at us here' to the others. Still…"

"I wonder what she would be doing in a place like this."

"We should hurry, I didn't like the way she looked around for us."

I agreed with her. "Yes, we'll put some space if she decides to come looking for us again."

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Lily and I travelled few more days until we finally came to the base of the Northern mountain range that divided the Jolteon and Glaceon territory. There was no sign of the mysterious Leafeon. The weather had quickly gotten colder and greenery had gradually vanished. Now we could see countless peaks that seemed to go on forever.

"Those are pretty high mountains…"

I didn't say anything. She was definitely right though.

"Lloyd, do you have the map?"

"Yes. Initially, we're going to stick to valleys between them as much as we can. There is the lower palace which isn't as far into the region, so if she happens to be there, it'll be easier."

"Okay, sounds like a plan." Lily had switched into a more covered look with a heavier cloak that Ardin had given her, as did I. She still looked quite cute, even with the hood on. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head, looking away. "Nothing."

"If… okay." She looked ready to say something, but decided not to.

We walked along the base, where there weren't many trees. A trickle of water flowed along the base, but it looked to be barely ankle level, and the weather was very cold. The path was the only clear area, with the rest of the landscape covered in leafless trees and pebbly ground. In the back of my mind, I wondered if I'd learn anything about my two parents. I exhaled, looking at my breath. "Lily, you're not too cold are you?"

"No, I'm pretty warm. You?"

"I'm fine."

"If it's about your parents…" she said quietly.

"Huh? Oh…" I was shocked she had figured it out. "Yes. I do wish I had talked with the wiseman more about him, but… well, it's too late. I'll have to see if Princess Claire happens to know anything."

"I'm sure she'll know something. Whether they're…" Her voice trailed off. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I said, walking ahead of her. "I've already accepted no matter what we learn."

I walked ahead a bit until we saw something out of place; a small, wooden shack. She glanced at me, before I nodded and we approached it. As we got closer, we noticed that it was very badly damaged; the wood was splintered, and it looked partially collapsed. Other planks of broken wood stuck out of the ground, or lay along the outside. "What is this?" breathed Lily.

"It's… I don't know…"

Looking around the bend in the valley, we saw a lot more destroyed shacks. "There's a lot of them." The path seemed to go straight through what looked to be an old village. We walked through it, the gravel crunching under our shoes. "Some sort of… settlement." A pole with a flag shredded beyond recognition hung tilted. "This place… it looks as if…"

"They were attacked. Whoever or whatever was here."

We wandered through the destroyed village in silence. The wooden structures creaked sometimes, making me uncomfortable as it reminded me of the recurring dream. Even Lily looked uneasy. "This… is this a grave?" she asked.

"… There's no bodies… but who knows how long ago this happened."

She stuck close to me, and I could sense the fear in her voice. I wasn't especially confident either. "Let's get away from here…" she said.

"Yes. We sh-" Something caught my eye. Inside one of the decrepit houses, I saw something white flutter through a window. "Hang on…"

I quickly ran over and looked through the window, and saw it; the fluttering pages of a book.

I heard Lily jog up behind me. "Lloyd, what's… a book?"

The pages were tattered, but I decided to pick it up. I opened it up, and saw some scribbles. "It's a diary…" I looked at the yellowish pages. "T.Y… that's the owner."

"Initials… I wonder what kind of Pokemon they were," pondered Lily.

 _"Day One. Western Infantry Troop 12 has arrived at the edge of the mountains,"_ I read aloud. "Western Infantry Troop 12… I've heard that before."

"Western… say, doesn't that mean that they are Umbreons?"

Then I remembered; it hit me like a wave. "Troop 12, now I remember. That was…" I looked around. "This was the troop my parents were part of."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

There was a cave built into the side of one of the mountains nearby, and we built a fire there as night came. I became very quiet; yes I had admitted that my parents most likely perished, but there had always been that sliver of hope. Seeing the destroyed settlement of what had been their troop was a reminder of what I had expected.

Lily gave me some space and silence, which I was grateful for. We sat opposite sides of the fire, eating quietly. I had discovered a little bit of the medicine actually; apparently Kaira hadn't needed all of it so they had left half the vial. We had collected some celery, carrots, and the potatoes from earlier, and I cooked those into a stew using some spices we had.

The fire crackled between us, and Lily finally decided to break the silence. "Lloyd… listen… if there's anything I can do for you… whether talking or whatnot, please let me."

"No, I'm fine. I… expected this."

"Whether you expected it or not, you're still clearly hit hard by it. I… you've done a lot for me, and it's clear this news hurt you. So please allow me to make it up to you."

Whether out of sadness or carelessness, I tossed her the book. "Can you burn this diary for me?"

"Huh? But it might giv-"

"Lily… I don't want to read it. I don't want to know what happened to them." I raised my voice a bit. "What if… say, they met a terrible fate, freezing to death? It's already cold here and it's only fall. Even my mother, a Leafeon, would be especially vulnerable. Just the thought… no, sometimes, it might be better to not know. I wish we'd never come here."

"Lloyd…"

I stood up, then stretched before looking out the cave. "Lily… I'm going to go for a walk."

"I… I understand. I'll burn the book."

As I left, I grabbed the royal blade, and didn't look back. Once outside in the cold, I exhaled before walking to the left. After a little bit, I felt someone near me. "Lloyd, I'm sorry."

I recognized Sophie's voice. "It's fine." I put my arms behind my head. "Like I told Lily, I never expected much. It was more for closure than anything."

"I understand. Some things… you don't want to know." She stopped walking, and I turned around. She had picked up a stone, and chucked it away. "Some things, you just want to forget. But can't. If you could throw away all the bad things, but it was along with the good, would you still do it?" She turned to me in question.

"I… that's a tough question," I said with a sigh.

"I know. I don't know the answer to it either." She picked up another stone, then tossed it to me, which I caught. "But for me… at least… there are some memories so precious, some things I'm glad I know. I'm glad I got to meet you Lloyd. Lily too. And I'm glad I knew what love felt like. And even regret, that feeling in your gut… when you know… you know you screwed up, that feeling is something which I've had to live with."

I tossed the stone in my hand a few times before whipping it away. "I suppose you're right."

She rested her hand on my shoulder gently. "I know the pain all too well of losing loved ones. Both in my spirit form and in my actual life. I… I know you wish to know your parents. And things look grim. But… perhaps it's worth hoping. After all… we don't know what happened for sure. You yourself defy expectations."

"What do you mean, Sophie?"

"You've become a lot stronger in the time we've met. Yes… you're not quite as strong as Terren was. But he was a prolific swordsman and magician. And you've grown a lot in the short time we've been together. And need I remind you that you're the child not only of Umbreon royalty to wield me, but also of Leafeon descent? You yourself defy expectations. Perhaps the fate of your parents is different as well."

I picked up another stone. "Thanks for your words. But… it's quite clear that it's not good enough. What I'm doing."

"… Lloyd, you're still getting stronger. Why it took Terren years to become as strong as he did. Besides… Terren wasn't just like you in looks and personality. The two of us travelled the regions to become strong and respected enough by all to get the Espeons' favor of marriage. There is no doubt in my mind that you have his potential, and I'll be by your side to help you unlock your potential. I believe in you, and so does Lily."

"Do you really?"

She smiled. "I promise. I may look like a young girl, but I've seen things your eyes wouldn't believe with my ma-" She paused a bit, before saying, "Yes, my former master, Prince Terren. But I truly believe it, that together, we can accomplish the goal of peace that I failed so long ago to achieve."

"Thanks, Sophie." She gave me a hug, which helped relax me a bit. "I suppose we should start heading back." We had wandered a little farther off than I'd planned.

She nodded at me. "Yes, we'll get back. You still had some stew right? I might eat some."

"I thought you don't have to eat."

"I don't. But it's still pleasant."

"Where does it go?"

"Hey now…"

We were getting ready to walk back when we saw a massive flash of light in the distance. "Lloyd!"

"Yes! That's where Lily and the camp was!" We quickly ran back together. "Shit, what… what could it be?" I said, as we ran.

"I'm not sure. Maybe the Glaceons?"

We ran through a section with dead trees. "You'd have to think…"

We were maybe about halfway through when Sophie shouted, "Lloyd, duck down!"

"Huh-" I did as she asked once my brain registered it, and I tripped, rolling once before recovering to my feet. I saw a flash of white fly over my head. I grabbed the sword, and Sophie vanished, though her voice was still in my head.

"You okay?"

"Yes…"

I looked around. It was dark, but thanks to my enhanced eyesight in the dark, I could see my attacker. They stood in front of me, wearing a light blue dress, so bright it was almost white.

She flipped her blue bangs as she looked back at me; it was hard to make out a lot of features of her face since she was still far away, but I was certain it was a female, as well as a Glaceon. "Who are you?" I asked, holding out the weapon.

She didn't reply, but held out her hand, and I watched a white bow form our of nowhere.

"Not gonna reply…"

"Lloyd, that's a Glaceon as you know. I know you've read up on how to battle them, but I must emphasize, they excel at long range. Dark Pulse might give you the opening necessary to close, but stick defensive for now; Dark Pulse doesn't activate fast enough to avoid those ice arrows they attack with."

"Gotcha."

She notched an arrow, and let it fly; somehow, time seemed to slow and I was able to react to it, diving under the arrow. "Lloyd, I can enhance your senses a bit," said Sophie. "Just be aware that it does put a little more strain on your body the more you use it."

"Thanks!" I quickly dashed at the Glaceon to close the distance, but she nimbly backstepped and drew another arrow before shooting it at me. I blocked the attack with my blade, though it stopped my progress. When I found her again visually, she was standing atop a large rock, looking down at me. "What do you want?"

Finally, she spoke. "Umbreon… that weapon you have. Where did you get it?"

"I activated it. The royal weapon of the Umbreons. The spirit within chose me."

She lowered her weapon; I still couldn't make out much of her visually other than the dress and bow. "Chosen is it?" Her voice sounded remarkable similar to how I expected a Glaceon to sound; quiet and a cool calmness. "The wielder of such a weapon… perhaps it is fate to meet someone like you."

There was another flash, and I turned around. "Lily…"

I turned to the Glaceon, but she had turned around and seemed to jump off the back of the rock, no intention of stopping me. A little while later, I finally made it back to destroyed settlement. Standing in the middle, surrounded by perhaps ten Glaceon soldiers was the Espeon. She held the staff up, and I noticed about 5 soldiers lay on the ground, unconscious. "Lloyd! You sure took your time!"

Half of them turned to me, pulling out arrows of ice. "Umbreon! Put down your weapon and we won't harm you. Fight and we will capture you! This Espeon here has already attempted to attack us!"

"You assaulted me in my sleep! That's why I attacked you!" she protested.

I drew my sword, feeling quite irritated. "You guys attacked Lily? No manners."

Then suddenly, I heard a familiar voice behind me. "Soldiers, put down your weapons." The Glaceon from before walked up next to me. "An Umbreon and Espeon traveling together probably aren't exactly hostiles. Am I right?"

The soldiers put down their weapons, though me and Lily both stood ready. "We… we didn't come here to fight," said Lily.

I looked at the Glaceon, but she had already turned around again. "Come with me, you two. I'm Princess Claire, the one you're probably searching for if you're wielding those royal weapons."

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Lily and I walked next to each other, a bit behind Claire and her guards. "You two are royalty, I can see," she said as we sat down to break. The clouds had vanished a bit and the moon illuminated us well enough to see.

"Yes," said Lily. "We came here to ask for your assistance."

"What could you need from me, though? I've done my best to keep my people out of the war, so if your armies want military help, I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline."

"No… we're… well, we're not the leaders of our respective nations," explained Lily. "It's hard to describe… but we're not here to ask for military assistance."

"You're not?" The Glaceon seemed genuinely surprised. I finally got a better look at her; she was perhaps the most stunning Pokemon I'd ever met. The dress she donned wasn't especially formal, but it was very well made, having a mix of very light blue and teal tones. It hugged her body fairly tightly along the sides, and there was a cutout that exposed her navel. Like most Glaceons I had seen in my copy of "The Eight", she had long bangs that hung down on both sides. Perhaps most striking was her eyes, which were a blue color; not quite 'icy' like I'd expect, but were a marine blue color.

She stared at me, and I forgot what I was going to say. "No," I finally said. "We're not."

"Lloyd, you all right?" asked Lily.

I nodded. "Yeah, just lost my tongue for a moment."

"I never did get your names formally," she said. "But you must be Lloyd," she said to me. "And I recall hearing Lily… being your name."

"Yes, Lily and Lloyd. That's us."

"I haven't met another royal in… what is it, almost 7 years…"

Lily nudged me. "Lloyd, do you have it?"

"Oh, right." I opened up my pack, and held out the envelope.

Some of the guards looked at us suspiciously, but Claire waved them off. "It's an envelope," she said. "It's not gonna blow up in my face." She flipped it over to reveal her name written on it, and surprise filled her eyes. "You two…" she said, after being at a loss for words. "This letter… who did you get it from?"

"Ardin. We just came from Eltron City."

"Ardin…" She held the letter for a bit, then handed it to one of the guards. "I'll read this later." After the guard put it away, she asked, "I know you're royals… but for Ardin to give you a letter addressed to me… did you do anything?"

"We helped him disable the Zapdos bird."

"I see. In that case… what did you think of him? Grating? Short tempered? A jerk?"

Lily nodded. "Well… at first. But then he changed. He… seemed to accept the mistakes he'd made and finally was at peace with them. I can't say that much as we only knew him for a few days, but there was a change in his attitude. Especially after… well, after we saw what happened."

The Glaceon looked at Lily as if trying to pull more words out of her before looking up. "Ardin… as you know, I was supposed to marry him. An alliance between our two forces. But… well disaster struck. One of my trusted attendants… for whatever reason, murdered his father. I do not know why. But he never forgave me. Perhaps I didn't fully understand what he was going through. I recently lost my mother, and that pain was worse than any wound." She looked at us again. "If Ardin has… well, never mind. I shall read the letter soon. And I'd sincerely like to apologize for attacking you both. We had thought you were perhaps assassins at first entering here, but once we saw your royal weapons and the two of you together, we worked it out."

"No, it's fine… as long as you didn't hurt Lloyd," said Lily.

"Yes, as long as Lily is fine…"

The Glaceon seemed surprised. "You two seem quite comfortable with each other."

"Yes, we've travelled with each other for a little while now."

"I know that… but didn't you two ever wonder if you'd be betrayed?"

Lily turned to look at me, then blinked. "Well… a bit. But Lloyd saved me from a bunch of troublemakers. That was my first impression of him. Then he and his sister took me into their home. He really did save my butt numerous times. So I kinda do have to trust him."

"Yes. Lily… well, she told me her cause as well. She has a lot of information, and it'd definitely be of note to you."

"Does it involve my people?"

"Yes. Probably all the regions."

She stood up. "Well then, we should hurry and get back to the Lower Palace. We can discuss some matters there."

"My lady, would you still like us to investigate the gulch stream?"

"Ah yes, half of you go check that out. The others, come with me and our two guests."

The guards divided themselves up, and half of them went down the ridge we were walking along. "Where are they going? Gulch stream?"

"We were originally investigating some activity along the gulch stream." She sighed. "It divides us from the Vaporeons, but they're so laid back that they sometimes just enter our territory without knowing and get lost at times. The Vaporeons don't even have a ruler either which exasperates the problem. So we go and visit the gulch stream that they sometimes swim into our land through to make sure any of them that do wander into our region can get back home and just to ensure that they aren't doing anything suspicious, though in all my years, even under my mother, we've yet to find anything."

I decided to ask the burning question. "What about the settlement we were at?"

The Glaceon looked back at me, as if trying to decipher me like a book. Finally, she said, "An Umbreon settlement. You want to know if we attacked the squad that was illegally on our land?"

"I know they were th-"

"No," she replied. "We didn't attack them. That was many years ago, during a particularly brutal winter. They perished on their own, and when we arrived… well, most of them had passed on."

"Most?"

"Yes. There were a few survivors who we brought back with us. Initially, they were prisoners, but it became clear that they were too weak and outnumbered to do much, and they agreed to live with us."

I froze. "Some of them lived?"

"Yes… about twelve I reckon… well, a couple passed away and three or so asked to leave, though I'm not especially certain where they went."

My heart pounded. "Were any of them… a Leafeon?"

"Leafeon… yes. A lady."

Lily gasped. "Lloyd… it has to…"

"What is she to you?" asked Claire.

"My mother," I said after a some hesitation. "She… as well as my father came here, as part of the troop that you talked about. They were originally farmers."

"Farmers?" She frowned. "I… well, never mind. I can tell you that she is a kind Pokemon."

"Was there a male Umbreon? Her spouse?" I had almost forgotten about the letter I had received from my father, the one he had left for me. "He was an exceptional swordsman."

"I'm not sure. If you gave me a name, perhaps…"

"I'm sorry," I said. "I… I have a note he gave to me. I'll read it later."

"You two are like the messengers, carrying all these notes around. My mother left me a note to read when she passed on, and it was very comforting. I hope the note your own father left you makes you feel the same." She stood up. "Well then, let's be going now. The South Palace isn't too far away from here. I really wish the snow came though…"

Some of the other Glaceons murmured in agreement, and I shivered just at the thought of it. As we began to walk again, Lily herself said, "Jeez, too much colder wouldn't be comfortable."

Claire smiled a bit in amusement. "That's what every non-Glaceon says."

"For good reason. This can't be good for your health if you're not used to it," said Lily, watching her visible breath.

"How far is it to the South Palace?" I asked. "We've been walking quite awhile in this cold."

"Not too far," replied Claire. "The actual North Capitol is a few days travel, but within a few hours, we should be at the South Palace and you can catch up on sleep there." Curiously, Claire added, "So you two sleep together?"

"Well… we did that a few times," said Lily.

"… I… I see, I didn't know you two were that close."

I suddenly realized what Lily said, and how it could be misinterpreted. "Uh, not like the way you're thinking," I explained. "There was only one bed the last place we stayed."

The Glaceon nodded a bit, then continued walking.

"Sorry Lloyd," said Lily, face a little pinkish. "That came out wrong."

"It's fine," I chuckled. "You look a little drowsy."

"We did get no sleep," she yawned. "Also… uh, I know you asked me to burn it, but I kept the diary. I'm sorry."

I felt a little bad for how cold I had been to her earlier. "It's fine," I said. "I might look at it a little later. And sorry, I was rude to you."

"Don't worry, I understand." We walked in silence behind the Glaceons before she asked, "So… are you scared?"

"Scared?"

"You know… the Leafeon. She's probably your mother."

"I know. But… well, I'm not expecting anything. Of course I'd like to meet my parents. But well… I guess I am nervous. I'd love it to be her, and I'd be disappointed if it's not."

She held my hand. "Lloyd, don't worry. You're not alone."

"I know."

She smiled at me warmly before letting go and walking ahead a bit, leaving me alone to think as we walked.

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The Glaceons' South Palace was surrounded by a small town; I was quite sleepy by the time we arrived and I didn't really pay much attention to the town itself. Claire arranged with a local innkeeper and bid Lily and myself a good rest. "The path to the palace should be clear at day. Come when you're refreshed."

I recall Lily saying "Goodnight," and I replied with something, but I quickly fell asleep.

My dreams were yet again interrupted, not by the foggy dock, but something else.

 _"Sophie, are you all right?"_

 _"Yes, I'm fine. We can keep going."_

 _"Grr… this guy… that weapon of his… it keeps changing its form. None of my swordsmanship really matters when it's a spear sometimes, or a whip, or a shield."_

 _"Terren, we've been fighting at full strength for awhile. If I keep draining your blood, you'll eventually collapse at this rate. Plus you're bleeding from elsewhere too. We can't keep this up."_

 _"I know… it's just… argh…"_

 _Sophie's voice softened. "Now you've done it, I'll disengage."_

 _"Wait, don't… dammit."_

 _Another voice spoke now, one I recognized from earlier. "It seems that you two are both at your limits."_

 _"Yes. We… give in. I'm sorry, Sophie."_

 _The voice sighed. "Come with me. After seeing you guys for awhile, it's clear you've suffered."_

"Out out." Sophie's voice brought me back. "I thought I told you that was rude."

"Sorry, it just happens."

"What'd you hear this time?"

"Some shapeshifting weapon… and Terren I believe being at his limit. Then you pulled me out."

She huffed. "Whatever. There's not much I can do. I just hope you don't hear anything that you shouldn't for your own sake." We were sitting in the same house as in the previous dream. "Anyways, how do you feel? Tired?"

"Yeah."

"Sorry, the slow down ability will tire you out quicker. Anyways… you probably think I'm being too worried over you, but just be careful around the Glaceons. Claire doesn't seem to have any malicious intent from my perspective, but don't forget, they are still hostiles."

"Okay."

"She did attack you. And it would've been a tough battle for us. She clearly knew that we'd have the advantage up close, so she took measures to stay away. Just be cautious." She sighed. "Well… not like I'm one to talk anyways." Staring at me, she said, "You're a very good listener, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well Terren was more outgoing than you, but he was also a good listener. You really really remind me of him. I know I've told you this before, but it's true."

I frowned. "You sure were close to him."

"Yes." Biting her lip, she said, "Our relationship wasn't all that different from yours and Lily's. We got along well."

"I-"

Suddenly, she began to fade. "It looks like something woke you up."

And with that, I was staring up at the dark ceiling within the room. "Lloyd, you awake?"

I heard Lily's voice next to me. She was sitting up, alert. "What's wrong?"

"I… I don't know. I felt something."

"Earthquake again." There was a knock on the door briefly as someone outside shouted before we heard the footsteps leave.

"Another quake… that's three in only a few days," I commented.

"It has to be them. The Flareons must have removed the Red Orb, causing a misbalance in the Earth."

"They're obviously militaristic, but why now… it's just confusing. Perhaps… she's planning something… with Valen…" Lily shuddered. "The Red Orb is truly a horrifying power. There's records of Tora and Rain, the two heroes of the Red and Blue Orbs clashing and the immense damage. Yet the Blue Orb is the only thing that can stop it." She huffed. "And to think the Vaporeons want no part in the war. We'll have to stop them on our own… stop this war from happening."

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"I thought I told you to never come back here." Two Pokemon stood atop a tall, seaside cliff.

"Hmph, that's quite rude to someone who was willing to become your bride. A joint partnership between the Espeons and Vaporeons. After all, you are the on-"

The Vaporeon was facing away from the female Espeon, and he turned around. "After what you did to us… you have the nerve to show your face?"

"I'll remind you that you did most the damage."

The Vaporeon clenched his fist, then began walking away.

"An Umbreon and Espeon are going to be coming here. They're looking to collect the blood of the royals. If you want to see her again, report them to me once you do."

He stopped a bit, then glanced over his shoulder. "Very well."

As he vanished, another Espeon made his appearance. "My lady, would you like me to-"

"Don't try it." She turned around. "That Vaporeon is too powerful for you to face. I've seen the damage he's caused. He almost killed me even. And besides… we need him and his cooperation if the plan is to succeed."

"Understood."

"Go and position some troops throughout the city. Those two will probably be here within a few days if they haven't been stopped." After a bow, the assassin vanished, and the princess looked into the distance. "Soon my little sister… we'll see who the real queen is."

 **End Ch.6**


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